By David Edelstein Nomine/SJG30-3318... · By David Edelstein and R. Sean Borgstrom Additional...

By David Edelstein and R. Sean Borgstrom

Additional materials by Chris AnthonyEdited by Elizabeth McCoy

and Steve JacksonCover by Philip Reed

Illustrated by Christopher Shy, Rogério Vilela,Lee Smith, Rob Thomas, and Bill Koeb

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ISBN 1-55634-430-9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

In Nomine was written by Derek Pearcy based on an originalgame by CROC, under license from Asmodée

Managing Editor ✠ Andrew HackardProject Administrator ✠ Monique Chapman

In Nomine Line Editor ✠ Elizabeth McCoyArt Directors ✠ Philip Reed and

Mia ShermanProduction Artists ✠ Philip Reed and

Justin De WittPrint Buyer ✠ Monica Stephens

Sales Manager ✠ Ross Jepson

EtherealPlayer’S

Guide

Lead playtester: Maurice LaneBackup lead playtester: Chris AnthonyPlaytesters: Michel Belanger, Eric A. Burns, Genevieve Cogman, Ian Cunningham, Marco De Stefani, Brook Freeman, Brian Hogue,William Keith, Maurice “Invictus” Lane and his group (Chris Anthony,Eric “Casca” Bertish, Ruth “Kariel” Evers, Greg “Tex” Hammond, Jamie Lennon, Sarah Messer, Amanda McCurry, Cameron “Ehremiel”McCurry, Michael “DB” Nutt, Steve "The Duke" Roth, and Johann, Newt of God), Heather “Fade the Cat” Manley, Walter Milliken (and the Toys from the Attic players), James Walker, Jonathan Walton,Jonathan Woodward, and the rest of the Pyramid playtesters.

EtHerEAlplayer’S

GuideTM

www.arttoday.com

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4ABOUT THE AUTHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ORIGIN MYTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4BEGINNINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

THE ETHEREAL CHARACTER . 9ETHEREAL PLAYER CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

CHARACTER CREATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10FORCES AND CHARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . 10ELEMENTS AND AFFINITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10ETHEREAL INTELLIGENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Attunements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Songs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11ETHEREAL CHARACTER

CREATION CHECKLIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Servants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12Discord and Dread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13POINT COST TABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Vessels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

ESSENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14DAILY REGENERATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14RITES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14WORSHIP AND BELIEF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14PLAYER CHARACTER IMPOSTORS . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Ambient Belief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15TETHERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16ETHEREAL TRIBES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17THE ESSENCE CACHE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17DREAM-EATING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17ETHEREAL ANCHORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

ETHEREAL DEATH ANDDESTRUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18LOSING FORCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18ETHEREAL REMNANTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19FADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

ETHEREALS IN THECORPOREAL REALM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20CORPOREAL MANIFESTATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 20DISTURBANCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20INTERVENTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

ELEMENTS aND INITIATION. . 21ELEMENT DESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

ANATOMY OF AN ETHEREAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Strands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Affinities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23The Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

ASTRONOMICAL CONCEPTS: THE SUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24“LOST” SONGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24THE MIGRATION OF STARS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

CLASSICAL ELEMENTS: WATER . . . . . . . 25WORDS AND ELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26ZANG WANXIAO’S SALAMANDER RANCH. . . . . . 27

EMOTIONS: FEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

THE BEASTS OF PASSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28INFORMATION: NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

THE INVERSE DATA STORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31LIFE: BEASTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

THE FOREST BEYOND HOPE’S END. . . . . . . . . . 32SENSES: LIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

THE SUNDERED CASTLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34SOCIETY: THE FAMILY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

MNEMONIC CRETINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35STRUCTURES: HOMES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

FINAL SANCTUARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36STRUGGLE: THE HUNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

A THOUSAND BODIES DEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38TECH: VEHICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

THE SPIDERSILK FORGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40TERRAIN: MOUNTAINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

STRAIGHT ROADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42WEALTH: JEWELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

THE WEALTH OF STAMATIS STAVROS . . . . . . . . 43WEATHER: SNOW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

STRANGE RAINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44HOW TO USE THE

ELEMENT GROUPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45CREATING YOUR OWN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

EXAMPLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46A WORKED EXAMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

INITIATION: AWAKENING THEELEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46INITIATION EFFECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47INITIATING BEFORE AND DURING PLAY . . . . 48DREADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49AFFINITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

AFFINITY LEVELS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50COMBINING AFFINITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51AFFINITY ROLLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51SONG AFFILIATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51NEW AND IMPROVED AFFINITIES . . . . . . . . . . . 51CREATING YOUR OWN AFFINITIES . . . . . . . . . . 52AFFINITIES LIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Artifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53Cold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Deception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54Destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Divination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Drowning/Suffocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Emotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55Entrancement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Fertility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Filth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Glamour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Hunger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Luck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Motherhood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Obscurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Puissance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Wealth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61WEATHER SEVERITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62OPTIONAL SKILL BONUSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62ELEMENTS AND THEIR AFFINITIES. . . . . . . . . . . 63

ATTUNEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Ethereal Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63Soul Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

SKILLS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64AREA KNOWLEDGE (THE MARCHES) . . . . . . 64DREAMING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65KNOWLEDGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65LANGUAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65OPTIONAL FREE SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65MOVE SILENTLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65SURVIVAL (THE MARCHES). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65TRACKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

SONGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66DRAINING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66EXCHANGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66SPIRIT SPEECH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

VESSELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68STARTING VESSELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

ETHEREAL BEINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70ETHEREALS, CELESTIALS, AND HUMANS . . . . . . 71

ELEMENTALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72CREATING AN ELEMENTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72SAMPLE ELEMENTAL:

MCCORMICK THE GUNSLINGER. . . . . . . . 72PRIMAL SPIRITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

CREATING A PRIMAL SPIRIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73SAMPLE PRIMAL SPIRIT: AUREM . . . . . . . . . . . 73SAMPLE PRIMAL SPIRIT:

THE FINAL EXAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73GOD-CREATION MADE SIMPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

DREAM SPIRITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74FIGMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74AUTONOMOUS DREAM SPIRITS . . . . . . . . . . . 75GESTALT DREAM SPIRITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75GENII LOCORUM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75CREATING A DREAM SPIRIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76SAMPLE FIGMENT: MANNY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76SAMPLE DREAM SPIRIT: MARYGOLD . . . . . . . 76SAMPLE DREAM SPIRIT: SANTA CLAUS . . . . . 77ETHEREAL TAXONOMY AND

INCONSISTENCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77IMPOSSIBLE IMAGES – THE SACRED

AND THE PROFANE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Dragons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

CREATURES OF FAITH AND LEGEND . . 78CREATING CREATURES OF MYTH. . . . . . . . . . 79CLASSICAL MYTHS AND LEGENDS . . . . . . . . . 79SAMPLE SPIRIT: THE KRAKEN . . . . . . . . . . . . 79“INANIMATE” IMAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80MODERN POP ICONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80SAMPLE SPIRIT: ELVIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

PAGAN GODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81BECOMING A GOD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81IMAGE AND DREAM-SHADES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82LESSER GODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82GREATER GODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82ETHEREAL TETHERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82CREATING A GOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82SAMPLE LESSER GODDESS: CERIDWYN . . . . . 83SAMPLE GREATER GOD: ODIN. . . . . . . . . . . . 84WYRD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84PANTHEONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

2C O N T E N T S

EtHerEAlplayer’S Guide

RULES OF THE ETHEREAL . . . 86ENTERING AND LEAVING

THE MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88ENTERING DREAMSCAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM . . . . . . . . 88THROUGH A DREAMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88ASCENDING AND DESCENDING . . . . . . . . . . . 89

ETHEREAL TRAVEL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89NAVIGATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90ETHEREAL NAVIGATION MODIFIERS . . . . . . . . . 90MAPPING THE MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91LUCID DREAMWALKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91DREAMING AND REM SLEEP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

ETHEREAL PHYSICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92APPEARANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92DREAM-SHAPING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93DREAM-SHAPING PENALTIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94ETHEREAL DISTURBANCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

COMBAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97OPTIONAL RULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97ETHEREAL COMBAT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97ETHEREAL WEAPONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98CELESTIAL COMBAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Losing Celestial Combat

in the Marches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

dOMaINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100THE VALE OF DREAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

BLANDINE’S MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101GABRIEL’S FORTRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102BELETH’S MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102THE BORDER MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

THE FAR MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102DOMAINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103FIGMENTS IN DOMAINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103RAW RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104DOMAIN-ONLY ARTIFACTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

DREAMSCAPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105MICRO-DOMAINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

EXAMPLE OF DOMAIN CREATION . . . . . . . . . . 106DOMAIN FEATURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

POSITIVE FEATURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106NEGATIVE FEATURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108MIXED FEATURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109LAB 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

RESTLESS dREaMS . . . . . . . . . . . . 112DESTINY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

ETHEREAL RELATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113ALLIANCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113ETHEREAL SOCIETY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Gangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113THE OLD GODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Tribes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Pantheons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Domain Affiliations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115RIVALRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115PREDATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115PANTHEONIC RELATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

CELESTIALS IN THE MARCHES . . . . . . . 117CELESTIAL RELATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117THE ISLAMIC DJINN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118WHEN TO RUN, WHEN TO DEAL . . . . . . . . . . 119ENCOUNTERING THE HOST. . . . . . . . . . . . . 120DIABOLICAL ENCOUNTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121ETHEREALS AND THE WAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

HUMANS IN THE MARCHES . . . . . . . . . . 122ETHEREAL HALFBREEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

LUCID DREAMERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122SOLDIERS AND SORCERERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122SAINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122UNDEAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

DREAM-SHADES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122CORPOREAL RELATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

COLLABORATORS, VICTIMS, AND DUPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

PAGANS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123BELIEVERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123SORCERERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

ETHEREaL LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124ETHEREAL MOTIVATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 125IMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

THE MEANING OF THE MASK . . . . . . . . . . . 126IMAGE FULFILLMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128IMAGE FULFILLMENT BONUSES. . . . . . . . . . . . 128IMAGE CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129CHANGING YOUR IMAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129HOW FAR CAN YOU GO? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130IMAGE ENHANCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130IMAGE CONSUMPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131LITTLE ETHEREALS, BIG MINDS . . . . . . . . . . . 131REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132ASSERTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132SELLING OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132INITIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

ASSUMPTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133HISTORICAL EXAMPLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133CHALLENGING THE GODS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134THE TRIAL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134TRANSFIGURATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

HOW DO ETHEREALS SPENDTHEIR TIME? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

ETHEREAL CAMPAIGNS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136CAMPAIGN GROUPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136REALISTIC CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136DARK CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137OPTIONS FOR PANTHEON-LEVEL GAMES . . . . 137CAMPAIGN CONCEPTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138HUMOROUS CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138MYTHIC CAMPAIGNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

INCORPORATING ETHEREALSINTO CELESTIAL CAMPAIGNS(AND VICE VERSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

THE TSAYADIM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

NEAR THE ENd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 3C O N T E N T S

ABOUT IN NOMINESteve Jackson Games is committed to full support of the In Nomine sys-

tem. Our address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Pleaseinclude a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us!Resources include:

Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid/). Our online magazine includesnew rules and articles for In Nomine. It also covers Dungeons andDragons, Traveller, World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, and many moretop games – and other Steve Jackson Games releases like GURPS,Illuminati, Car Wars, Toon, Ogre Miniatures, and more. Pyramid sub-scribers also have access to playtest files online!

New supplements and adventures. In Nomine continues to grow, and we’llbe happy to let you know what’s new. For a current catalog, send us alegal-sized or 9”×12” SASE – please use two stamps! – or just visitwww.warehouse23.com.

Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our best to fixour errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all In Nomine releases, includingthis book, are available on our website – see below.

Gamer input. We value your comments, for new products as well as updat-ed printings of existing titles!

Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com for erra-ta, updates, Q&A, and much more.

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The Ethereal Player’s Guide web page can be found atwww.sjgames.com/in-nomine/ethereal/.

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www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/angelmush.html

www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/ethereal

In the world of In Nomine, angels and demons domi-nate the struggle, casting their shadows upon the Earth –or so they see it. Mundane humans, unaware of the bat-tles around them, go on with their lives . . . and havemore influence on the Symphony as a whole. Indeed,mortal dreams and imagination create shadowy beingswho owe their lives to the humanity that spawned them.Of course, these dwellers within the ethereal realm of theMarches do not necessarily acknowledge this debt. Someare predators, some are parasites, some are enslaved bysorcerers, some attempt to be symbionts, while othersroam the Far Marches and ignore humanity as much asthey can.

Though less powerful – especially now – than angels anddemons, these ethereal spirits are still plentiful. They havetheir own societies, their own feuds, their own intrigues.Despite the ravages of the Crusade of Purity, despite thesporadic depredations of bored demons, ethereals are stillthe most plentiful creatures in the Far Marches, and an

ethereal is far more likely to suffer at the hands of a fellowethereal than he is to encounter a celestial.

Still, those creatures of dream who seek to gain power onEarth do run into celestials – for better or worse. They maybe pawns of sorcerers, they may be masterminds in theirown right. They may even be on the run from their fellowsin the Marches!

Whether as player characters amidst celestials, NPCantagonists and sidekicks, or the stars of a Far Marchescampaign that never touches Earth, Heaven, or Hell . . .ethereal spirits are here.

The Dream is alive.

Origin MythS(based heavily on a Nigerian folktale)

I dreamed I met a frog named Mainu, as large as a bear,and he opened his mouth wide. I thought he would swallow me,and I panicked, and I said, “Mister Frog, you can’t eat me yet.”

His mouth closed. “Why not?”“You haven’t introduced yourself properly.”Mainu thought on this, and then he nodded. “My name is

Mainu,” he said.“I know that,” I said, “but I don’t know what you are.”Mainu’s throat sac inflated and deflated. “Then I’ll tell

you,” he said.

BEGINNINGSAt the beginning of time, the Marches held only mists

and chaos. The mist was raw potential, the substance ofdreams yet to come. Some patches of mist could fit in ateardrop. Others could swallow a thousand worlds. Seasof chaos raged beyond the borders of the mist. They hadno boundaries. They reached to infinity. Chaos hasretreated, but remains unchartable even to this day.

Then a number of spirits descended into the Marchesfrom somewhere else and began sweeping it into shape.They pushed some of the mist patches together to makea space for future spirits to grow. They surrounded that4

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Introduction

ABOUT THE AUTHORSRebecca Sean Borgstrom (also the author of

Hogshead Publishing’s Nobilis, contributor to WhiteWolf’s Games of Divinity, and featured in Superiors 1:War and Honor, Liber Castellorum, and LiberServitorum) is either 5, 7, 12, 15, 21, or 30 years old;has blonde or red hair, blue or green eyes, and a rapid-ly changing phenotype; lives in Virginia, California,or Washington; and enjoys activities. She has a com-puter science doctorate in its original mailing tube ina box somewhere around her home.

David Edelstein started gaming when he was 12.He is the author of the In Nomine Game Master’sGuide, the Corporeal Player’s Guide, and the co-author and editor of many other In Nomine supple-ments. An English teacher and a computer program-mer, he has lived in California, Maryland, Texas, andSouth Korea, and was last seen headed for NewMexico with his wife. David is either an Elohite or aHabbalite, depending on his current dissonance level.

space with the Utgard stones, to keep the chaos at bay.They swept the tiny impurities in the mists into neat lit-tle piles. These were both the first life and the first ter-rain of the Marches. The chiefs of these spirits wereDream, Imagination, Myth, and Hypothesis. Each had adozen lieutenants. When they finished their task, all ofthem left as suddenly as they came.

The Origins of SpiritsThe mists drew back to reveal a large table and an

equally large chair. A knife as sharp as an arctic wind layon the table. Thunder boomed. Lightning cut throughthe mist. Woyengi, the mother of dreams, appeared. Shesat in the chair and took the knife from the table. Withone hand, she fished Dosha out of the sea of Chaos.

Woyengi’s servant, Imagination, had created Dosha bysweeping together the various impurities found in hisregion of the Marches. Dosha was a serpentine creature,with whiskers as long as his body, and he was bad to thebone. He could fit a mountain in his mouth, butWoyengi held him as you or I might hold a worm, andshe lifted the knife to his flesh.

“Please,” Dosha said, dangling from her hand, “thatknife looks very dangerous, and I want very much tolive.”

“I need your stomach for my work,” Woyengianswered. “Do not think of your sacrifice as an ending.Rather, consider it a great honor that comes only once ina lifetime.”

“I humbly decline the honor,” said Dosha, and bitWoyengi on the finger. This startled her so much thatshe dropped him, and like a worm he wriggled away.

Woyengi resigned herself to this turn of events. Shecut the wound off her finger with her knife. She lookedin the sea of Chaos for another victim. Finding a creaturenamed Atavus, she plucked him forth and neatly cut awayhis stomach. She sealed Atavus’ stomach at one end,inflated it with her own divine breath, and then squeezedit gently. Spirits flew out of the open end of Atavus’stomach. At first, since all of them came from the samebreath, all of them were exactly alike.

The Origin of Elemental Strands and Dreamscapes

Woyengi did not want all of the spirits to be exactlyalike. She called her four chiefs to her side. “Dream,” shesaid, “the first animals walk the Earth. When they sleep,I want you to create small worlds for them in theMarches, based upon the patterns of their minds.”

Dream went and did this thing. He created the firstdreamscapes.

“Myth,” Woyengi said, “The worlds of Dream are col-orful, while my spirits are bland. Distill out the color ofthe dreams so that I can flavor the spirits with them.”

Myth went to work. He took all the dreams of waterand he fished out a long string of waterness from each –just like pulling out one of a tapestry’s threads! Then hebraided all these threads together, so that he had a longrope of Water-dream. He did the same thing with Anger,and Thunder, and the Mountains, and the Moon. Soonhe had linked all the animal dreams together with strandsof dream, and he brought the free end of each rope toWoyengi.

One by one, Woyengi asked each spirit, “Choose foryourself what kind of spirit you want to be.” Each spiritchose one of the strands of dream. Myth untangled athread from that strand and ran it right through the spir-it’s heart! If the spirit chose Water, its whole body filledup with waterness. If it chose the Mountains, it becamefull of mountainness. Even the littlest spirit could befrightening if Myth spliced it with a bit of Fear. That’show primal spirits came to be.

The Origin of MasksMuch, much later, humans started to dream.

Now,animal dreams are simple, but human dreams arecomplex. Woyengi’s chief, Myth, came to her early onand said, “If I have to make a rope out of every differ-ent image in a human dream, I’ll get gray hairs on myhead before I’m even a billion years old. That’s howcomplicated it would be.”

Woyengi finished her work for the day and thenanswered him. “Look at this dream over here,” shesaid. “It’s about a mad sheep who kills the greatest god.It thereby dooms the world. How many dreams featuresheep who kill gods?”

“Just the one,” Myth admitted.Woyengi said, “Then do not make a rope for ‘god-

killing sheep.’ Pull out the thread of Beasts in thesheep, and the thread of Anger, and the thread ofGreatness. And if a spirit wants to be made of the God-Killing Sheep idea, put bits of all three ropes inside itssoul.”

“If we make spirits out of more than one strand,”Myth asked, “won’t they be terribly confused?”

Woyengi thought on that, and then turned to herchief, Imagination. “Whenever a spirit chooses to bemade from human dreams or stories, I want you to cre-ate a clay mask for him. The clay mask will show hisrole in the dream – like the sheep. Then, if the spiritbecomes confused about what he is, because he has somany elemental strands in his soul, he can put on themask and pretend that that’s what he really is.” 5


So Imagination began making masks. He made themask of “the mad sheep who kills God,” and the mask of“the cave painter with tentacles instead of legs,” andmany more. He gave each spirit a mask.

The Origin of Affinities andDomains

In the early days, Dosha would sneak out of the Chaosat the edges of the world to prey upon the primal spirits.So would other creatures of his kind, built from the orig-inal impurities in the world. The primal spirits could notdefend themselves from such terrible monsters. Theybegan to wail and cry to Woyengi about the horrorsdevouring them.

Woyengi, being very busy, sent Hypothesis to answertheir plaints. “We have no power to defend ourselves!” thespirits told him. “Nor do we have homes in which tohide.”

“What kind of homes would you like?” askedHypothesis reasonably.

The spirits conferred. “Impregnable fortresses,” theyanswered, “with every conceivable amenity.”

“I shall see what I can do,” Hypothesis said, and wentout into Chaos. He found the creature known asKshetrashuddhi and battled it to its death. Then hedragged it into the Marches and scattered its scales.Where a scale landed, it created a world. These worldsresembled dreamscapes without dreamers. Their naturesvaried. “These Domains are not impregnable,”Hypothesis said, “nor do they have every conceivableamenity. However, they are a rather fine creation. Bystudying them, you may learn how to build your own.”

The spirits spoke among themselves, and chose not tocomplain.

“Now,” Hypothesis said, “what kind of power wouldyou like?”

The spirits conferred. “We would like absolute powerover everything in the Marches.”

Hypothesis laughed. “Even Woyengi does not havethat! But I shall see what I can do.” He reached intoKshetrashuddhi’s corpse and pulled out its heart.Crushing it in his hand, he let its blood flow over the spir-its. “This blood shall activate the power that naturally lieswithin you. The spirits with stormy dispositions shall gainpower over Storms. The fickle and oceanic will acquirepower over the Sea. In like manner, every spirit shallreceive some measure of power.”

The spirits spoke among themselves, and chose not tocomplain. Hypothesis returned to Woyengi. The mon-sters of Chaos invaded the Marches less frequently, fear-ing the defenses of the Domains and the spirits’ new pow-ers. Still, they did not cease their wickedness for sometime to come.

Then Mainu told me, “And that’s what I am. I am a spir-it. I am the elements of dream. I am the power of hunger. I amthe mask of a frog.”

He opened his mouth wide.“Wait!” I said. “You cannot eat me yet.”Mainu closed his mouth. “Honestly,” he said, disapproving-

ly, and then shrugged his great frog shoulders. “Why not?”“A person should know why he’s going to die.”The pads on Mainu’s great frog foot pressed against the

ground. “Then I’ll tell you,” he said.

6I N T R O D U C T I O N

SERENAOne day, Woyengi blew a spirit out of Atavus’ stomach

who chose to be made out of the elements of Anger andthe Sun. Myth put a thread of each of those elements inher soul, filling her up with rage and glory. Imaginationlooked through all the human dreams to find a dreamwith those elements in it. He found one in a humandreaming about the “glorious Lady Serena, savior ofFrance.” So he made a mask of Lady Serena for the spir-it, and she stepped into the world.

Lady Serena found a place as the hero of the Domainnamed Shunyata. The anger in her soul pushed her toperform great deeds, and soon she became famous formiles around. However, as the years went by, she felt agrowing discontent. Even the greatest accomplishmentdid not cause her inner rage to subside, and she wasquickly running out of great deeds to do.

“I will go back to Woyengi,” she said, “and get myselfnew elements for my soul.” So she shouldered her packand set out for Woyengi’s Table, deep in the mist.

Serena Challenges a GodSerena trudged through the Marches until she came to

a large forest. In the forest lived Isembi, its god and king.In the distance, she could hear the rage of chaos againstthe Utgard stones. Unafraid, she picked her way throughthe trees, until Isembi himself came out to confront her.

“You must be the famous Lady Serena of Shunyata. Isthat not so?” he asked.

Serena was startled that he knew her name, but sheanswered with aplomb. “In all the Marches, there is onlyone Lady Serena, and I am she.”

“Then your manners are lacking!” Isembi snapped. “Mywhole Domain is abuzz with your exploits. Courtesydemands that you pay me a visit and join me for a meal, ifyou pass through my Domain.”

Serena could hardly refuse the invitation! So she joinedIsembi for dinner, and regaled him with stories from herlife. After enjoying his hospitality, however, she insistedthat she had to return to the road.

“Where are you going?” Isembi asked.“I go to Woyengi,” Serena answered, “for I wish to

change my nature.”“Out of the question!” roared Isembi. “Do you not

know that no one sees Woyengi after their birth? Thenotion is madness; I insist that you turn back.”

Serena basked in his anger, as an Anger spirit ought. Yethis attempt to tell her what to do awakened her own tem-per. “You do not have the power to turn me from my jour-ney; and if you think you do, I demand you test your pow-ers against mine!”

“Has no one told you of my might?” Isembi cried. “I amIsembi the invincible, king, god, and lord of the forest!How dare you challenge me like this?”

“It does not matter how I dare,” Serena answered. “Youhave been challenged, and cannot refuse.”

So Isembi and Serena went out into the forest and madea circle for their duel. (The customs for challenging godswere more primitive then than they are now.) Isembi gra-ciously yielded the first attack to Serena, but she wouldhave none of it. “You are older and wiser, Isembi. It is onlyfitting that you should go first.”

So Isembi gathered his might and struck! The trees bentdown all around Serena, and each grabbed one of herlimbs. Yank! One pulled off her right arm! One pulled offher left arm! One pulled off each leg, and one pulled offher head! One even ripped her heart right out of her chest.But Serena wasn’t finished yet. Her head opened its mouthand began to sing, and straightaway, all her body partspulled back together, snapping off the branches that triedto resist.

“Try again, great King! Only this time,” Serena said, “donot hold back any of your power.”

“That was the extent of my powers,” Isembi answeredgrumpily. “You may employ your own, if you have anyabilities worth the mentioning.”

So Serena sang again, and danced about Isembi, and inan instant all of Isembi’s magic left his body and flew intohers. Isembi straightaway fell dead, and Serena walked on.

Serena Drives Back ChaosAt the edge of the forest, Serena encountered the Utgard

stones, and beyond them, Chaos. This puzzled her, for sheknew that Woyengi lived in the Marches – but then she sawa great bridge that arched over the Chaos sea. It was so longthat it went right past the end of infinity and back into theMarches that Serena knew! “Woyengi must be on the otherside,” Serena said, and set off across the bridge.

When she had just gone halfway across the bridge,Akosmia, who rules over Chaos, roared up from the sea toconfront her. “You must be the famous Lady Serena ofShunyata,” he cried. “Is this not so?”

Serena did not let her trepidation show, but ratheranswered bluffly. “In all the Marches, there is but one LadySerena, and I am she.”

“How dare you walk above my home and never pay mea visit?” Akosmia asked. “All of Chaos is abuzz with talkabout you, except for those parts which are not. Courtesydemands that you join me for dinner.”

Serena, as a spirit of the Sun, believed very much incourtesy. So she joined Akosmia for dinner. It was notlong, however, before she felt the urge to return to theroad. 7


“Where are you going?” Akosmia asked.“I go to Woyengi,” Serena answered, “for I wish to

change my nature.”“Out of the question!” roared Akosmia. “Do you not

know that no one sees Woyengi after their birth? Thenotion is madness; I insist that you turn back.”

Serena basked in his anger, as an Anger spirit ought. Yethis attempt to tell her what to do awakened her own tem-per. “You do not have the power to turn me from my jour-ney; and if you think you do, I demand you test your pow-ers against mine!”

Akosmia, once challenged, could not refuse, and soonthe two of them stood in a dueling circle on the chaoticsea. “You are older and wiser,” Serena said courteously, “soit is only right that you go first.”

Akosmia spread his arms wide. The sea of chaos that heruled rose up and swallowed Serena. Time around herstuttered and shifted. Geography twisted. The world,strange as it was in the Farthest Marches (and Beyond),became stranger. Now, Akosmia thought that beforeSerena could so much as blink, she would lose her con-nection to time and space forever. But instead, Serenacalled up her clay mask and cried out to all Chaos, “I amnot just any spirit, but the Lady Serena from Aicelina’sdream.” So great was her identification with her mask thatthe sea could not shake Serena from her proper time orplace. Slowly, the chaos receded.

“Try again, great King! Only this time,” Serena said,“do not hold back any of your power.”

“That was the extent of my powers,” Akosmia answeredglumly. “You may employ your own, if you have any abil-ities worth the mentioning.”

So Serena took out her sword and systematically drew apattern around Akosmia; and each time she added a line,the entropy around Akosmia decreased, until he droppeddead from the sheer order of it all. All of Akosmia’s magicleft his body and flew into Serena’s, and Serena walked on.

Sahajaklesha and DoshaSerena had almost reached the end of the bridge when

Dosha lifted his head from the chaos. “You must be thefamous Lady Serena of Shunyata,” he murmured, voicelow. “Is that not so?”

“In all the Marches,” Serena answered, “there is butone Serena, and I am she.”

“Then I insist that you join me for dinner,” Doshaanswered. “For courtesy’s sake, if nothing else.”

Serena looked down at Dosha’s great green shape andpointed out, “I have already eaten twice upon this jour-ney, when spirits do not need to eat at all. Perhaps I coulddine with you on the way back.”

Dosha’s head rose higher. “Where are you going in sucha hurry, then?”

“I go to see Woyengi,” Serena answered, “for I wish tochange my nature.”

Dosha sighed. “I feared as much. In all honesty, I can-not permit anyone to cross this bridge in search ofWoyengi, for they might see me from the bridge, as theypass, and inform her of my location. Make your peacewith the universe and prepare to be eaten.”

“I did not see you from the bridge until you raised yourhead!” Serena protested.

“The matter has since become academic.”“You cannot eat me without facing me in challenge!”

Serena offered.“You could walk for a year and not draw a dueling cir-

cle around me,” Dosha answered. “The notion isimpractical.”

Serena gave this a moment’s thought, and then ran asfast as she could down the length of the bridge. Dosharoared along after her, casting up great waves of Chaoshigher than the mortal stars. But before he could eat her,the bridge ended – Serena had run so fast that theyreached Woyengi before Dosha could get his neck out ofthe sea!

Woyengi raised a hand to pluck Dosha from the Chaos.Dosha swam quickly back out into the sea. Her hand fol-lowed him. Dosha roared into the Marches. Woyengi’shand followed him. Dosha looked for a hiding place, butcould only find one. Knowing that Woyengi would notharm her children, he dove right into a spirit’s eyes!

Now, in Dosha’s hurry to escape Woyengi, he scrapedoff many of his scales on the Utgard stones. Then in theMarches he scraped off much of his flesh. So by the timehe reached his hiding place, there was nothing left of himbut Sahajaklesha – the essence of caution and fear. Thatessence still haunts the spirits of the Marches. You can seeit in their eyes! So Woyengi wisely refused Serena a sec-ond chance as a spirit. Instead, she stripped away Serena’smask and made her Raga – the essence of desire and ambi-tion. She shouts in every spirit’s heart, demanding powerand greatness. But though the lady Raga tries her best, themonster Sahajaklesha holds most spirits back from dan-gerous excesses of glory. For that reason, few heroes sincehave ever lived up to the boldness of Serena of Shunyata.

Then Mainu told me, “And that’s why I will eat you. TheRaga in me demands the power in your flesh, and theSahajaklesha in me fears to be weak.”

“But is the story true?” I said, mourning brave Serena.“I’m sure I don’t know,” Mainu said. He took two bites and

I woke up screaming.8I N T R O D U C T I O N

9T H E E T H E R E A L C H A R A C T E R

The EtherealCharacter

Character CreationEthereal spirits are created much like any other char-

acter type in In Nomine, following the guidelines below.

FORCES ANDCHARACTERISTICS

While beginning ethereals are at a disadvantage com-pared to celestials, their growth is not limited. Etherealscan have up to 6 Forces in any realm, and up to 18 Forcestotal. (Very few have anywhere near this many, nowadays.)Likewise, they may have characteristics of up to 12.

Any ethereal with 3 Forces or more must have at least1 Force in each realm, with the exception of those dam-aged in celestial combat (p. 98), or figments (p. 74).Ethereals with fewer than 3 Forces must have at least 1Ethereal Force. An ethereal may not have any character-istic of 0 unless it has 0 Forces in that realm; GMs may,as always, permit variations in their own games.

Ethereal characters may increase their Forces andcharacteristics as celestials do. Normally, a new Forcecosts 10 character points, but unless a spirit has a patron(such as a celestial Superior or pagan god), it is recom-mended that it be required to raise its Forces by individ-ually raising the characteristics associated with a Force, ata cost of 3 points each. (I.e., to gain an extra CorporealForces, an ethereal would have to raise its Strengthand/or Agility by a total of 4 points, at total cost of 12character points.)

Ethereals can also gain Forces either by assumption orby devouring other ethereals; see p. 17.

ELEMENTS AND AFFINITIES“Do not anger the magpie queen, lest she visit upon your

house the men made of sorrow. For what they touch becomesashes, and what they taste turns to dust, and the footprints theyleave behind them are tragedy and pain.”

– The Injunctions of Mikah the Dispersed

Where celestials are primarily defined by their reso-nance and Word, ethereals are largely defined by the ele-ments of which they are composed (also called strands),and concepts for which they have an affinity. Elementsare not paid for with character points, but selected as partof the character concept, and are described in detail inChapter 2.

An ethereal spirit also has affinities (see pp. 52-62 for alist of typical ones), based in part on its elemental com-position. Affinities are concepts imbedded in an ethere-al’s soul – often they are responsible for its very creation,when a particular concept figured so strongly in a potentdreamscape or domain that it imbued the substance ofthe Marches with life, weaving the elemental strandstogether and spawning a new spirit. (Ethereals see theaffinities as “tying the knot;” celestials tend to see affini-ties as attunements, and elements as akin the Word aServitor follows.) An ethereal spirit has a certain amountof power over concepts for which it has an affinity – espe-cially on the ethereal plane.

Most spirits have at least one affinity, especially if theyhave been initiated (p. 46). Multiple affinities are com-mon, but there is a limit to how many different conceptsa spirit’s soul can embrace. No ethereal can have more10

T H E E T H E R E A L C H A R A C T E R

ETHEREAL PLAYERCHARACTERS

Ethereals are, for the most part, much weaker thancelestials. There are some ethereal spirits who have 9Forces or more (and there were many more before thePurity Crusade), but nowadays, such potent spirits aremostly gods or former gods, or old ethereals who haveremained hidden in the Far Marches and avoided anycontact with celestials. The recommended starting levelfor player character ethereals is 6 Forces if playing in a“low-level” campaign, where most of the PCs are ethe-reals or humans, or 7 Forces if playing in a mixed cam-paign with celestial and ethereal PCs. Even with 7Forces, an ethereal will be weaker than the average angelor demon, which is as it should be. A group of 9-Forceethereals is improbable; pantheons rarely work together.(But if the GM wants to allow ethereal player charactersof this magnitude, particularly if there is just one ethere-al among the celestials or the campaign premise is a pan-theon of PCs – feel free!)

Character PointsBeginning ethereals should receive character points

equal to 4 × their initial allotment of Forces with whichto buy Resources. Optionally, the GM may allow ethe-real PCs to “sell off” one of their starting Forces inexchange for 10 extra character points, or to spend 10character points to receive an extra Force. It’s not rec-ommended that more than a single Force be traded inthis manner.

Ethereals who start out initiated (p. 46) will have aDread, and gain points for it – see p. 48.

affinities than it has Forces, andstronger affinities demand a greaterportion of the ethereal’s being. Thestrength of an affinity can be rated asslight, moderate, strong, or primal. (Seep. 50 for the abilities and characterpoint costs associated with each level.)

RESOURCESBesides affinities, ethereal charac-

ters can buy other Resources withcharacter points.

AttunementsEthereals can be given celestial

attunements if a Superior sees fit, andsome of the most powerful gods cangrant their own equivalent of ServitorAttunements. See p. 82. It is commonfor ethereal-granted attunements tocome with a cost beyond mere char-acter points; like Superiors, the godsreward those who serve them or theirconcepts.

SkillsEthereals can learn most of the

same skills that humans and celestialscan. Of course, many skills are diffi-cult to learn in the Marches, but it’spossible for a spirit who’s never beento the corporeal plane to learn Driving, if it gets enoughpractice driving cars in mortal dreamscapes or an appro-priate Domain.

Note that, like celestials, ethereals can learn sorcerousskills and rituals (Corporeal Player’s Guide, p. 33), andsometimes do in order to teach them to humans – butthey cannot practice sorcery.

And some skills simply work differently. For a list ofskills that require special treatment, plus the new skill ofDreaming, see p. 64.

SongsAll of the Songs in the In Nomine rulebook (pp. 78-

85) can be assumed to be commonly known in theMarches; the GM should allow an ethereal character tostart with any of them (unless he has a reason for restrict-ing them). Some of the Songs from the LiberCanticorum are also available in the Marches, but most

should be considered rare if not unknown. (The majorexceptions are included on p. 66) It is entirely up to theGM which ones he will allow player characters to pur-chase at creation.

RolesEthereal Roles are possible, as described in the Liber

Servitorum (p. 114). However, ethereal spirits don’t havenetworks of Servitors to help create an identity and thematerial resources to support one, as celestial Superiorsdo. So the only way for most ethereal spirits to establisha Role is to actually spend time on the corporeal planeliving it. They also have to be even more cautious thancelestials about being discovered. Consequently, very fewethereal Roles will be either of high level or high Status.The GM should require an ethereal character to do a lotof work, and spend a lot of time living as a mundane, tohave a Role or Status level above 3. 11


ETHEREAL INTELLIGENCEBut he was intelligent. And it was an angelic intelligence which, while not par-

ticularly higher than human intelligence, is much broader and has the advantageof having thousands of years of practice.

– Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens

Ethereals tend to develop their Ethereal Forces most heavily, just as manycelestials tend to emphasize their Celestial Forces.

Therefore, a middling to powerful ethereal will frequently have anIntelligence that’s quite high by human standards. Does this mean that ethe-reals tend to be geniuses because Intelligence falls within their naturalrealm?

Not necessarily. As described in In Nomine (p. 35), Intelligence is rawmental capability. This includes what we conventionally label “intelligence,”but it also encompasses imagination, mental flexibility, and speed of thought,as well as the breadth of one’s knowledge-base. (The ability to concentrate,and focus one’s mental abilities, including on hand-eye coordination, is gov-erned by the other ethereal characteristic, Precision.) A high Intelligencescore can represent an Einstein, but it can also represent someone whose IQis merely average, but who has the experience of many lifetimes with whichto make quick decisions. And it can represent an ethereal spirit whose “intel-ligence,” as humans understand the term, is so alien as to be unquantifiable,but whose raw mental energy is a potent force in the Marches.

Thus, even though an ethereal (or a celestial) might have an Intelligenceof 12, that doesn’t mean you have to play it as a super-genius. Such a beingcan outmatch any mortal in mental contests, but that doesn’t mean that thequality of its thoughts is superhuman, or that it’s impossible for someonewith a lower Intelligence score to outwit it.

ServantsA master-servant connection is a Symphonic bond

(Liber Servitorum, pp. 115-125), not merely a relation-ship of obedience and/or loyalty such as any two beingsmight develop. Thus, an ethereal can only acquire a ser-vant through some sort of supernatural bonding . . . play-ers and GMs should feel free to improvise details. Someexamples for creating servants include sorcerous rituals,more powerful ethereals (or, rarely, Superiors), or longassociation in a particular Domain or dreamscape.Possession of a micro-Domain split from a mortal’sdreamscape (p. 105) may also aid in forging such a link –in either direction.

The most likely servant of an ethereal is another ethe-real. Occasionally, a dream-shade (p. 122) might bond toan ethereal as its servant (the reverse is also possible!). It’srare for any but pagan gods to have corporeal servants, butsome spirits have found willing minions and/or wor-shipers among humanity; these are usually mundanes, butthe occasional Pagan Soldier or sorcerer is a rare and valued resource.

Celestial servants, of course, are extremely unlikely. Afew Outcasts and Renegades might receive patronagefrom an old god, but to actually become a servant of anethereal would be almost unthinkable. Beleth occasional-ly gives an infernal spirit to one of the dark gods who serveher . . . but it’s certain that however servile the demonlingmight be to his ethereal master, his first allegiance will beto Beleth . . .

An ethereal spirit might be a mortal’s servant, too. Itcould have been mystically enslaved by a sorcerer, made abargain for a steady supply of Essence, or be one of theineffably rare dream-fragments that a lucid dreamer man-aged to actually create (see box, p. 74).

ArtifactsEthereals can have artifacts; some can even make arti-

facts. Talismans, relics, and reliquaries can be brought tothe ethereal plane. Purely corporeal artifacts cannot, andthus an ethereal spirit is unlikely to possess one, unless it’son Earth. See the Liber Reliquarum for more detailsabout all sorts of artifacts, including some of the legendaryrelics of the gods.12


With more combinations than angels and demons, ethe-real spirits can be daunting to create. Here is a step-by-stepguide to assist players in making characters.

When designing an ethereal, you can start by choosing apersonality type and selecting the elements to support that(Elements, p. 22.) or you can decide which powers you wantfrom the affinities (p. 50) and pick elements which havethose affinities. Either way, this is a good place to start think-ing about the character’s concept.

Ethereal spirits start with 6 Forces and therefore (InNomine, pp. 35-36) 24 character points. With GM permis-sion, they may sell 1 Force for 10 points (5 Forces, 34points), or buy 1 Force for 10 points (7 Forces, 14 points).Allocate Forces and characteristics normally – 1-6 perForce, 1-12 per characteristic. (If the GM permits,Corporeal Forces may be 0 due to a history involving celes-tial combat.)

Choose your elements, either directly by the personalityyou wish, or indirectly, by the affinities you desire. Quickreferences to personality are on p. 45, and to affinities on p. 63.

Choose and pay for your affinities and their strengths, asper p. 50. Slight: 2 points; Moderate; 5 points; Strong; 10

points; Primal: 10 points. Remember that you can only haveas many total affinities as you have Forces, but only thoseaffinities which require more than your total Forces are outof reach (Combining Affinities, p. 51).

Decide if your character has initiated or not (p. 46). If so,select one or two element strands to emphasize, and anappropriate Dread (and get the character points for it; dou-ble-check with the GM to see how many points a givenDread is worth). Spend those points on element-appropri-ate Resources. (Affinities which aren’t “appropriate” can bebought with your general points.)

Determine what your Image (p. 125) is, and how you feelabout it.

Purchase your other Resources: skills, Songs, attune-ments, Roles, Servants, artifacts, etc. For ethereals, vesselsare easier to come by; see Vessels, p. 68. (A vessel from anArchangel or Prince will cost points normally.)

Create enough of a background for you and the GameMaster to be satisfied – what pantheon or Domain the char-acter counts as “home,” and what attitudes it holds towardcelestials, humans, and other ethereals.

Play!

ETHEREAL CHARACTER CREATION CHECKLIST

Discord and DreadDiscord in ethereals represents alien elements imposed

upon their natures, sometimes by being in the wrongdreamscape at the wrong time (see p. 109), sometimes byfluctuations in the patterns of the Marches and thatrealm’s unpredictable effects on its native inhabitants.Ethereals can also choose to accept Discord, to make iteasier to form a vessel (p. 69). This latter type of Discorddoes not give the spirit any character points directly; itonly reduces the Essence cost of a vessel.

Most ethereals have one or more inherent Dreads,stemming from their elemental strands (see p. 22). TheseDreads function like Ethereal Discord except where oth-erwise noted. An ethereal character does receive charac-ter points for any starting Dreads, but once play begins,new or enhanced Dreads only grant benefits if they areacquired as part of an initiation (p. 46).

Celestial Discord can prevent ethereals from regener-ating their daily Essence, just as for celestials (InNomine, p. 60).


POINT COST TABLEResource Point Cost MaximumElements No cost Typically 10Affinities Varies; see below Total Forces (A character cannot have more total

Affinities than its total Forces)Slight Affinity 2 Total ForcesModerate Affinity 5 Total Forces/3Strong Affinity 10 Total Forces/6Primal Affinity 10 1 (unless the character is a god)

Skills 1/level 6 levels/skillSongs 1/level 6 levels/skillRoles (Level × Status)/2 6 levels/Role, Status no higher than LevelServants (Level × Class)/2 6 levels/ServantArtifacts Varies; see below; can Varies; see below

be modified with FeaturesCorporeal (Artifacts) 1/level 6 levels/ArtifactEthereal (Talismans) 2/level 6 levels/Skill grantedCelestial (Relics) 3/level 6 levels/Song grantedCelestial (Reliquaries) 3/level 6 levels/Reliquary

Dreads* Varies; see below 1 Dread; must be taken at a level equal to Ethereal Forces

Minor Dread +1/level Moderate Dread +2/levelMajor Dread +3/level

Initiation* +5 Once per characterForces 10 6 Forces/Realm, 18 Total ForcesVessels** 15 Essence × Size × Level 6 levels/Vessel; no more Essence spent

at creation than 100 × Total ForcesVessel Discord*** Varies; see below 6 levels/Discord

Corporeal Discord (-3 × Vessel level × Discord level) in EssenceEthereal Discord (-3 × Vessel level × Discord level) in EssenceCelestial Discord (-5 × Vessel level × Discord level) in Essence

* Dreads and Initiation increase the number of character points that the character can use at creation, or when the Dreadis taken (if the character begins uninitiated). They do not cost character points.

** Vessels cost Essence, not character points, unless using the optional rule in the box on p. 68.*** Vessel Discord lowers the Essence cost of a vessel. However, at creation, a character may not have vessels whose Essence

cost exceeds its total Essence cache (100 × Total Forces) before adding in Discord reduction.

Removing DiscordAs with celestials (and corporeals, for Disadvantages),

an ethereal cannot usually shed Discord without theintervention of a higher power. A Superior can removeDiscord from ethereals, but rarely will. Some of the oldgods can, too (and are rumored to be able to do the samefor celestials). Since Discord is part of an ethereal’s Image(p. 125) – albeit an unwanted part – it’s said that some ofthe methods of refashioning one’s Image (see p. 129) canalso alter or eliminate Discord. This is up to the GM’sdiscretion.

VesselsLike celestials, ethereal spirits must have a vessel to

interact with the corporeal world. Unlike celestials, theycannot manipulate a body too large for their Forces, andthey can “cache” enough Essence to create vessels bythemselves. For details, see p. 68.

ESSenceEthereals store and use Essence as other beings do.

With the exception of their Essence cache (p. 17), theycan only hold Essence equal to their total Forces.Ethereals are all Symphonically aware and thus capableof controlling their Essence. Figments (p. 74) cannot vol-untarily transfer Essence to others, but are otherwise likeany other spirits in this respect. An ethereal makes a dis-turbance just like a celestial does when spending Essence(see p. 96 for disturbances on the ethereal plane).

Ethereals can’t generate Essence by succeeding at theirgreatest skill, as humans do (In Nomine, p. 50). They dohave other options, though.

DAILY REGENERATIONEthereal spirits regenerate 1 point of Essence per day,

like other beings. On Earth, they do so at midnight. In theMarches, time can flow differently, even between differentDomains, and so the span of 24 hours may be difficult tomeasure. The Symphony itself maintains an ineffable bal-ancing act when Essence flows among and betweenrealms. No spirit has ever mastered the trick of runninginto a Domain where time is flowing faster, spending sev-eral days there so as to fully recover its Essence, and thenreturning to its previous location in the Marches (or onEarth), only a few subjective minutes later. Somehow, itjust never works.

Everywhere on the ethereal plane will have the equiva-lent of a midnight. When the GM is called upon to figure

out when “midnight” is across different Domains, the eas-iest way is to decide upon an arbitrary, wholly imaginary“Marches Standard Time” and assume every ethereal spir-it regenerates their Essence at the same time. When con-fronted with travel between areas of differing time flow(and particularly when dealing with spirits who deliber-ately try to manipulate the difference, as described above),the most common outcome is an unexpectedly lengthenedjourney or detour for the spirit; “distance” in the Marchesis as subjective as “time,” and the Symphony has a funnyway of preventing paradoxes . . .

RITESEthereals can receive and perform Rites from Word-

bound celestials, but few celestials (especially angels) willgive an ethereal one of their Rites, and some etherealswouldn’t want to use a celestial Rite anyway. However,many ethereal spirits have Rites of their own, based ontheir affinities (p. 50). Note that like other Rites, a Ritestemming from an affinity can only generate Essenceonce per day.

Some of the pagan gods can grant Rites, much asSuperiors do. However, no god grants his Rites casually;they just don’t have the Essence to spare. Earning a Ritefrom an ethereal deity should be at least as difficult asearning a new Rite from an Archangel or Demon Prince.Even if an ethereal PC begins play as the servant of agod, it’s recommended he be required to pay 3 characterpoints each for any starting Rites.

WORSHIP AND BELIEFSome ethereal spirits have another kind of Rite: worship

rites. These are rituals which, when performed by a will-ing being, channel Essence to the spirit. Usually they aretaught to mortal worshipers by a pagan god. Anyone whoknows a worship rite may perform it once per day andsend 1 point of Essence to the recipient of the Rite.Worship rites are particular to a single god; spending 3hours reading stories about the god might be a worshiprite for Odin, while a group of ritual sunbathers mightsend 1 Essence each to Apollo. (See The Marches, p. 95,for more sample worship rites.) Note that for it to quali-fy as a worship rite, the performer must be willing, andfully aware that he is giving Essence to the god (thoughhe may not think of it in those terms – a mundane can doit). He must also be taught how to perform the rite prop-erly, either by the god or by fellow worshipers. Simplylying in the sun saying prayers to Apollo, or readingAsgardian myths to a Norse pagan “Sunday school” class,probably won’t do the trick – though it might.14


Creating Worship RitesThough the gods would have lesser spirits believe oth-

erwise, the fact is that nearly any ethereal can benefit froma worship rite. In order to do so, however, thespirit must have a unique Image (p. 125), and theworship rite must be indelibly associated withthat Image. (And part of the proper performanceof a worship rite requires that the performer havethe correct mental image of the recipient, whichis why it’s unlikely – albeit possible – for inde-pendent worshipers who’ve had no actual contactwith a god or his followers to successfully sendEssence to the god.) If a legitimate worship rite isperformed, and there is more than one etherealspirit extant with that rite’s Image, then anyEssence generated will be sent to one of the eli-gible spirits randomly.

This means that an ethereal spirit whose Imageis “Faerie” or “Lightning Spirit” or “MissDecember” will almost never get Essence from aworship rite; the Marches are full of faeries, light-ning spirits, and Miss Decembers. Taking on anindividual name might be sufficient, but probablywon’t be enough to distinguish the spirit fromall the similar spirits in the Marches.“Rumpleboggins the Household Fairy” might beable to teach someone to send her Essence byspeaking her name three times, dancing on thedoorstep at midnight, and then leaving her aplate of milk, but there are so many other house-hold fairies with Images and names similarenough to Rumpleboggins that they are as likelyas she to receive her Essence.

Thus, the only way to be sure that worshiprites will work is to eliminate (or replace – seeAssumption, p. 133) every other spirit whoseImage infringes on yours.

That is how the gods grew powerful originally,and it’s why they’re quick to destroy dream-frag-ments and other minor spirits who mimic them. There isonly one Apollo who has been the Olympian sun-god formillennia. False Apollos are common, but if other ethere-als don’t devour the copycats, the real Apollo will eventu-ally notice that someone else is getting his Essence, and hewill hunt the impostor down (see box).

Worship Rites for Player CharactersAn ethereal who wants to develop worship rites has

three challenges. First, it needs a unique Image (or itneeds to eliminate all potential rivals). Secondly, it needsto find mortals who are willing to worship it. Third, it

needs to craft a rite that reflects its unique composition ofelemental strands, affinities, and Image, and teach the rit-ual to its would-be worshipers.

If all this works, of course, the ethereal then has a fourthproblem. Jealous rivals and even more jealous elder gods,the Divine Inquisition, and most demons (if it doesn’tserve Beleth) will all be out to squash the upstart. Mostethereals find that what little Essence they might be ableto solicit from the corporeal world isn’t worth the trouble.

Ambient BeliefElvis looked helplessly at me from the wicker man’s heart.“I’m just a hunka hunka burning love,” he explained.

– A Dream Journal 15T H E E T H E R E A L C H A R A C T E R

PLAYER CHARACTER IMPOSTORSIf a player wants to create an ethereal spirit modeled after Thor

or Zeus or Ra or some other pagan god (either deceased or still-living), in the hopes of picking up some of the Essence their wor-shipers still send him, let him. Depending on how active the GMdeems such worshipers to be, this may amount to anywhere from1 Essence a week to several points a day coming his way. (Someof the old gods have a few traditionalist or neo-pagan worshipersstill performing effective rites . . . plus the Essence accruing tothem as a byproduct of popular mythology; see Ambient Belief,below.)

If the real god is still alive, though, he’s going to notice that he’snot getting all his Essence, and he’s not going to be happy. TheEssence an impostor might siphon off will in no way make it amatch for an ethereal deity. Players should understand that tak-ing on the mask of a god will probably result in a short-livedcharacter. (See Assumption, p. 133.)

Even if the god is dead, that means one of two things. One isthat there is no one guarding his Image, which means either thatImage doesn’t attract a significant amount of Essence from wor-ship or belief, or there are numerous other impostors also claim-ing the Essence. The second is that someone is guarding theImage. This may be angels who are extremely watchful for newethereals trying to claim the mantle of a god whom Urieldestroyed, and will be quick to smite erstwhile replacements. Orit may be the god’s kin; pantheons jealously persecute any spiritwho would usurp the Image of one their fallen members.

Either way, pretenders to godhood will find that their effortsare at best non-productive, and at worst suicidal.

Some ethereal spirits, with a very famous and/orpopular Image, receive Essence from the collectivedreams of humanity, even though nobody actively per-form worship rites for them. Elvis, Santa Claus, DarthVader, the Greys, and Ricky Martin are all alive andwell in the Marches, subsisting on the Essence of mil-lions of dreamers.

As with worship rites, Essence from ambient beliefsis divided randomly among all spirits with the appro-priate Image. This is why Santa Claus has not becomea modern deity with power to rival the pagan gods ofold; there are so many Santas in the Marches that noone spirit has ever been able to secure a stable powerbase. If one Santa could eliminate enough of his com-petitors to become the “real” Santa, he might becomea truly powerful entity . . . but of course, murderingone’s imitators is hardly very Santa-like.

Since belief in Santa Claus or adoration of The Kingis not the same as a deliberate attempt to send Essencein a rite, the Essence generated by all those dreams isextremely diffuse – many thousands of times weakerthan the Essence of true worship. Rarely will it gener-ate more than a few points of Essence per night (again,divided between all the spirits with that Image).During “peak” periods (such as Christmas, for Santa,or a world tour for a rock star), the nightly flow ofEssence may be multiplied many times over.

Player character ethereals who personify the EasterBunny or a specific Playboy centerfold may occasional-ly benefit from a stray point of Essence, particularlyduring Easter, or sweeps week on the PlayboyChannel. A favorable Intervention (p. 20) is a goodtime to let this happen. Of course, if the charactercould eliminate all those other ethereal Playboy models,she’d be well on her way to becoming the next paganGoddess of Centerfolds . . .

TETHERSEthereal Tethers are rare, but a few still exist. Most are

consecrated to a single god, though in a few cases, anentire pantheon has joined together to keep a Tetheralive, and thus share in its Essence flow.

A Tether is a potent supply of Essence; even a very tinyone can contribute several points a day. The strongestcelestial Tethers may generate thousands of points ofEssence every day for the Superior who controls them.There are no ethereal Tethers of that magnitude left (ifthere ever were), but even the weakest Tether is aresource worth defending, especially for today’s pagangods, who have so little left to work with.16


Sadly, only a god can have a Tether, so this is unlike-ly to be a resource for player characters. (See p. 134 forwhat it takes to become a god.) The Liber Castellorumdescribes Tethers in more detail, including etherealTethers and Seneschal attunements.

DREAM-EATINGEthereals have a predatory reputation, in large part

because of the practice of “dream-eating.” Dream-eat-ing actually describes several different phenomena.The most common is the use of the Celestial Song ofDraining (p. 66) on a mortal’s dreamscape. This ismostly done by malevolent spirits serving Beleth, whoinflict nightmares on their victims, hoping to scare themortal into expending all his Essence in his dreamsand thus feed it to the spirit.

A more literal form of dream-eating, however, is thecannibalistic manner in which ethereals can devourone another and thus absorb their victim’s power.When ethereals engage each other in celestial combat(see p. 98), they receive 1 Essence for every Force theystrip from their victim. Upon completely destroyinganother spirit, the victor will also gain the Essence thedeceased had left, if any, and perhaps even a Force (seep. 132). Ethereals cannot prey on humans or celestialsin this manner, nor do humans or celestials gainEssence by destroying ethereals in celestial combat.

(Assumption, p. 133, also transfers to the victor all theEssence of the loser, plus 1 per Force possessed by the unsuccessful challenger, in addition to any otherpowers gained.)

There are rumors of ethereal spirits who have addi-tional ways of draining other spirits, dreamscapes,mortals, and even celestials, of Essence (see L’Mellner,Liber Servitorum, p. 90). 17


While spirits with the same Image usually regard oneanother as competitors, sometimes a group of ethere-als will deliberately “share” a potent Image, and acceptthe Essence that is divided between them. These areoften called tribes, but functionally they are more likesyndicates; they keep their number small, so that allmembers will receive some benefit, and ruthlesslypurge any “unauthorized” wearers of their mask.

Sometimes the mask adopted by a tribe is that of anindividual – the “Elvis tribe” is quite powerful in the

Marches. Other tribes portray “races” of beings, suchas the Greys (Liber Servitorum, p. 89).

Larger groups of ethereals with a similar Image,such as the fey, unicorns, and the multitudes ofSantas, are too large to organize or weed out com-petitors (though there are rumors of abortiveattempts at forming a “Santa’s Guild”), and thusrarely derive any benefit from what Essence theirImage might garner.

ETHEREAL TRIBES

THE ESSENCE CACHEEvery ethereal spirit has the ability to store

Essence in a personal reservoir called an Essencecache. A spirit can transfer Essence directly fromitself into its Essence cache at will, but once it iscached, the spirit can only use that Essence to createvessels for itself (see p. 68). It cannot be retrieved forany other purpose, under any circumstances; neithercan any other being access an ethereal spirit’sEssence cache. (Devouring a spirit – p. 131 – will notgive the victor the contents of the loser’s Essencecache!) An ethereal can cache up to 100 points ofEssence times its Forces; should it lose a Force, itscache capacity will diminish accordingly (and anyEssence above the new limit will be gone).

Nobody knows why ethereals, and only ethereals,are able to do this, or even where all that Essence isactually stored while waiting to be formed into avessel. The most popular theory is that “Essencecaches” are located in the ethereal plane itself, andthat ethereal spirits are able to transform Essenceinto vessels drawn from the substance of theMarches of which they are also a part. Another the-ory (supported by those who believe ethereals andcelestials are really the same creatures) is that celes-tials could cache Essence and form their own vessels,just as ethereals can, if Heaven and Hell didn’t con-spire to make it impossible for any but Superiors.This would explain why celestials only have access tothis ability in Limbo (Heaven and Hell, p. 79),where they are beyond the reach of Superiors, andapparently even Lucifer and God . . .

Ethereal death and DeStruction

Ethereals aren’t quite as difficult as celestials to perma-nently destroy, but they don’t die as easily as mortals.

ETHEREAL TRAUMAIf an ethereal’s vessel is killed, it suffers Trauma much

like celestials (In Nomine, p. 67). However, corporealdeath is more traumatic for the spirits of dream, andmore dangerous.

Ethereals have no Heart, and really onlyexist in the Marches as embodiments of ele-mental strands animated by their intellect.Thus, an ethereal in Trauma doesn’t “go”anywhere; there are no “unconscious” ethe-real spirits floating about the Marches. Theyare simply dispersed into the ethereal planeuntil they gather enough of themselves toreform. Not all do.

Having been killed on the corporeal plane,an ethereal gets to make a Will roll at -2 aftera number of weeks equal to its CorporealForces (minimum of one week). If it suc-ceeds, it regains awareness and reforms at itsanchor (see box). If it fails, it loses 1 Force(determined randomly), and may try again ina number of weeks equal to its CorporealForces plus the check digit of the failed roll.Each failure costs another Force, until thespirit either emerges from Trauma or fadesfrom existence.

LOSING FORCESEthereals can engage (or be attacked) in

celestial combat in the Marches, so theysometimes lose Forces. Besides the usualeffects, stripping away a spirit’s Forces canstrip some of its elemental strands as well. Ifa spirit’s Forces become too low to sustain allits affinities (p. 50), it will lose some of them.(The GM may let the player choose whichaffinities are lost, or may choose himself.)For example, if a 6-Force ethereal with astrong affinity and two moderate affinities isreduced to 5 Forces, it must lose its strongaffinity and one of its moderate ones. (At theGM’s option, the ethereal may regain itsaffinities without having to pay characterpoints for them again, if it builds its Forces

back up.) The fact that losing even a single Force canhave serious consequences makes most etherealsextremely wary of celestial combat.

Being reduced to 0 Forces in a realm has the sameeffect on ethereals as on celestials (In Nomine, p. 68),except as noted below.

Loss of Corporeal ForcesNot only can an ethereal with no Corporeal Forces not

take physical form (it will be sent back to the Marches inTrauma if this somehow occurs on Earth), but it also can-18


ETHEREAL ANCHORSEthereal spirits don’t have Hearts, but each spirit does have an “anchor”

– a place in the Marches where its unique compositions of strands tietogether most strongly. An ethereal who suffers Trauma (below) or defeatin ethereal combat (p. 97) is dispersed into the Marches until it reforms atits anchor. An ethereal who has a home Domain (either by controllingone, or by having been made a “resident” by its master – see p. 103) hasits anchor there; the spirit may reform anywhere within the Domain,most likely the last place it occupied. (Some Domain rulers can definewhere residents will reform, essentially centralizing all anchors, but usu-ally it’s random.) Ethereals without a home Domain can attempt toanchor themselves in any other Domain; this requires spending 1 Essencewhile occupying that Domain. It’s impossible to be sure the anchor willhold, however; when it comes time for a spirit to reform, it must make aWill roll, at a penalty equal to the number of weeks since the last time itanchored itself. If it succeeds, it will reform in that Domain – probably atthe precise location it anchored itself. (Some Domains have special prop-erties making them easier or more difficult to use as anchors; see p. 18.Some Domain rulers charge for the privilege of using their Domain as ananchor, and some can sense ethereal anchors in their Domains . . . whichcan lead to unpleasant surprises for non-residents who create anchorswithout permission.) A spirit can anchor itself to a human dreamscape,but the anchor is automatically dissolved when the dreamer awakens, sothis rarely accomplishes much.

If a spirit hasn’t established an anchor, or its anchor fails to hold, thenit will reform in the last Domain it occupied . . . which could be bad, ifthat was Blandine’s or Beleth’s territory. If the last place the spirit occu-pied in the Marches was a space between Domains, or a human dream-scape that has not been continuously active since (i.e., the dreamer hasawakened at least once in the intervening time), then the spirit will reformsomewhere completely unpredictable in the Marches, between Domains.It may be right next to the Vale of Dreams, or it may be out in theunknown Far Marches, but it most likely won’t be anywhere convenient.Or safe.

not contribute to its Essence cache (p. 17), or form a newvessel, until it regains at least 1 Corporeal Force.

Loss of Ethereal ForcesAn ethereal who loses all its Ethereal Forces also loses

its Image (p. 125). If it regenerates an Ethereal Force, itwill regain its Image . . . but it’s not always the same oneit had before.

Loss of Celestial ForcesCelestial Forces contain the spark of soul that makes an

ethereal spirit an autonomous, self-aware being, asopposed to a background dreamscape animation (p. 74).

Ethereals who lose their last Celestial Force usually fadeout of existence, though occasionally they will becomesoulless figments, if they can attach themselves to aDomain or a dreamscape. (If the latter, the animationwill fade like any other when the dreamer awakens.)

FADING“When I was young, I used to dream of my perfect Prince,

and he promised that he would come for me and sweep meaway when I grew up. But as the years passed, he grew hag-gard instead, each dream sweeping away a touch of his glory. Idreamed of him last as a wan and pale ghost, and for ten yearsI have not dreamt of him at all.”

Trauma and celestial combat can destroy an ethereal,but the fate that spirits dread the most is “the slowdeath” of fading from existence a bit at a time. It is thedownside of worship and belief (p. 14) – when an ethe-real who has been sustained by mortal dreams andprayer loses its following, it loses that which makes itwhat it is.

Usually this happens to gods, but it can also happento a dream spirit whose Image is that of a cultural icon.When the icon is forgotten, the spirit weakens andfades. Once there was a mighty king and renownedwarrior named Nimrod, and fear of him spawned quitea few ethereal spirits. Over the millennia, his name andaccomplishments were all but forgotten; now the onlyextant reference to him is a single verse in the OldTestament, and the spirits born of the nightmares heinspired have long since faded. More recently, RedRider, Davy Crockett, Buddy Holly, and other lucklessethereals are struggling to survive. Their Images arebased on pop icons who were once found in millions ofdreamscapes, and are now remembered by fewer andfewer mortals. 19


ETHEREAL REMNANTSAn ethereal spirit which loses all its Celestial

Forces can theoretically do what celestials do, andmanifest on Earth in a vessel – if it has one.However, since ethereals must spend a point ofEssence and make a Will roll to leave the Marches(p. 89) – or have re-entered the ethereal plane bysleeping – it doesn’t often happen. If an etherealwho’s just been savaged in celestial combat hasenough Essence to raise its target number above 0,and makes the roll, it will appear on Earth at the lastlocation it physically occupied, unconscious for 2dhours. Thereafter, it will be much like a celestialRemnant (In Nomine, p. 68). An ethereal Remnantmight retain some of its affinities – this is up theGM. (See also p. 93 of the Corporeal Player’sGuide.)

This phenomenon is most likely to affect dream spirits(p. 74), and least likely to affect elementals (p. 72), but itcan diminish any ethereal whom the GM decides is sus-tained in large part by a fading popular belief. So long asthe absolute degree of belief in or worship of an etherealis decreasing, the GM may require the spirit to make ad666 roll every year, with a target number equal to thespirit’s total Forces. On a failed roll, the spirit loses 1Force; on an unfavorable Intervention, the spirit loses 1dForces. The gods, who often have more than 12 Forces,will take a long time to deteriorate, but after centuries ofneglect, even they will eventually incur an unfavorableIntervention or two. A pagan god must also roll againstfading if it loses a Tether, and the GM may require addi-tional rolls if something causes a sudden drastic reduc-tion in belief (such as a quarter of its following beingslaughtered, converting to another religion, etc.).

EtherealS in theCorporeal Realm

Heaven has forbidden ethereal spirits to manifest onthe corporeal plane. Since the PurityCrusade, Laurence has maintained thatwith the exception of a few occasionalrogues, ethereals been driven from theEarth and are no longer a presence there.Any dream spirits who dare to leave the FarMarches are swiftly chased back or dis-patched. The old gods are dead.

Laurence no doubt overstates the case,but those spirits who do make their way toEarth try to be very, very quiet about it.Uriel’s crusade may not have convinced theethereals of the righteousness of the Lord,but it certainly taught them to avoid Hisservants at all costs.

But ethereals travel to the corporealrealm a lot more often than either Heavenor Hell would like. They come to Earth insearch of Essence, to fulfill their purposes,to recruit followers, to pursue their own

Earthly schemes, or sometimes just for fun. Not all of theold gods are dead, and some of them still have a fair num-ber of followers.

CORPOREAL MANIFESTATIONSEthereal spirits can only manifest on the corporeal

plane if they have a vessel; they have no celestial forms.An ethereal must spend 1 Essence and make a Will rollto manifest on Earth. An ethereal can manifest anywhereit has been before, at the lower locus of an etherealTether, next to any human with whom it has a Soul Link(p. 64), or anywhere it can follow another ethereal (inmuch the way celestials can follow each other; see InNomine, p. 53). At the GM’s option, an ethereal may beable to manifest in a place it’s seen in an exceptionallyvivid and accurate dream; make an Intelligence roll toavoid mistakes.

Returning to the Marches requires 1 Essence andanother Will roll; see p. 89.

DISTURBANCESOn the corporeal plane, ethereals make disturbances

just like celestials do. Any expenditure of Essence causesa disturbance; so does causing corporeal death ordestruction. A spirit who manifests corporeally (orreturns to the Marches), or switches vessels, also makes adisturbance equal to its total Forces, just like celestials.Likewise, Roles may mask disturbance normally.

The use of affinities (p. 50) does not automaticallycause a disturbance, but any Essence spent on them, aswell as some of the effects they may generate, will.


INTERVENTIONSEthereal spirits are, by default, a “third party” in the War;

they are not automatically allied with or opposed to eitherside. Thus, it is not always predictable how Interventions willaffect them.

The GM will have to improvise when an ethereal rolls anIntervention; the result will be based on how the spirit’s cur-rent activities would be seen by the side that Intervenes. If anethereal rolls a 111, for example, the Intervention will befavorable if it is currently acting selflessly, or doing somethingthat would aid the forces of Heaven. If the ethereal is workingfor Hell, or acting selfishly, then a Divine Intervention will bebad. Likewise, an Infernal Intervention can be good or bad,depending on how Lucifer would see the current situation(which is entirely up to the GM . . .).

Shadows and fogs, lilies and frogs, that’s what littleethereals are made of.

21E L E M E N T S A N D I N I T I A T I O N

ElementS and Initiation

Philosopher spirits speak of the “Knife of Niyonizigiye,”which cuts not the physical body-image of a spirit (severing ahand at the wrist) but rather divides it into its conceptual com-ponents. The knife can cut the dedicated and patriotic defenderout of the military spirit, leaving only the ruthless and violentbogeyman. It can split away the sense of freedom and travelfrom a motorcycle spirit, leaving only the nebulous element ofthe Mechanical.

In the Marches, home to those things that life might some-day conceive of, the Knife of Niyonizigiye provides a more accu-rate dissection than any dream-blade. Ethereals are not assem-blages of bodily parts. The substrate of the Marches is not adancing world of atoms and quarks, but rather a seething mixof primal concepts. Dreamers build ethereals out of these pri-mal images, not out of little tiny motes of dream. The basic ele-ments of a spirit are not carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, butrather the foundation concepts of the human and animalworlds – things like Air, the Sun, Family, Pain, Color, andWar.

– From “Spiritual Anatomy,” by the Greek god Asklepios

Where celestials view themselves as instruments ormusicians, their self-image defined as notes in aSymphony (or personal symphony), ethereals see them-selves as collections of strands of various elements.Indeed, many spirits refer to the universal Symphony asthe Tapestry of all things, forever being woven. (Themetaphor is sometimes extended even further, with dis-turbance as a “snarl,” “tug,” or “runner” in the corpore-al weave – but the exact terms vary from Domain toDomain.)

The elements that form an ethereal affect its personal-ity. If an ethereal has initiated (see p. 46), it has gotteninto touch with one or more of its elements. This bothempowers it, allowing it to learn Songs and skills without

a teacher, and weakens it, instilling a Dread. Even if aspirit has not yet initiated, the elements described beloware a place to start when forming its personality andselecting its affinities. (For those who prefer to work“backward,” selecting affinities first, see the box on p. 63.)

Element DeScriptionSNeeds bought, hopes sold, dreams and themes and stories told

– that’s what little spirits are made of!

A typical animal lives in a very immediate universe.The building blocks of that universe are things like theForest he lives in, the Sun that warms him from the sky,his Fear of being eaten, and the Hunt that earns him hisdinner. His mind contains a reflection of these buildingblocks and some very basic tools for reasoning aboutthem.

As with humans, when animals dream, they enter aworld where the basic components of their existence –Forest, the Sun, the Hunt, et al. – jumble together intonew forms. The animal kingdom’s simple and powerfulimpressions of these building blocks became the ele-ments. They knotted together to form the first dream-scapes.

These elements changed, a little, over the years. Eachspirit built from the elements had a microscopic feedbackeffect on the element itself. When humans came along,each human’s vision of Forests, the Sun, Fear, and theHunt made its own minuscule changes. For the most part,though, the ancient elements remain as they began – raw,primitive, preconscious, precultural ideas. Not even thenewest elements, spawned by humans alone, are tame.

Elements are not dreams. They are the roots of dream.They are not myths, but rather the substance from whichmyths are brought to life.

Strands of thousands of different elements knit togeth-er to create the Marches. No hand-written list could enu-merate them all. Fortunately for those who study theways of spirits, most of the elements can be groupedroughly into categories. Elements with similar themesshare similar Dreads. Stemming from the same mythic,instinctive roots, they specialize in similar affinities andSongs. Thus, an ethereal who awakens the element ofLight in initiation has much in common with etherealswho awaken elements like Color or Darkness. Even thenon-initiates will have flashes of harmony with the ele-ments strongest within them. The worldviews of themat-ically similar elements do not always match, but theyreflect one another through a distorted lens.22

E L E M E N T S A N D I N I T I A T I O N


This section summarizes the Greek god Asklepios’“Spiritual Anatomy,” which has remained the leadingdescription of ethereal “biology” for more than 1,700 years.

StrandsAsklepios pictures the elements as infinitely long

strands of dreamstuff weaving invisibly through theMarches. Like threads on the loom of the Fates, thesestrands knit together to create substance.Dreamscapes and Domains are greattangled knots of the elements. Spiritsusually embody strands of no morethan three or four major elements,though some have many more.One or two strands serve as thelinchpins of the knot.

Asklepios described spiritswith a strand of an element weav-ing through them as “having” that strand or being“[Element]-strand spirits.” A spirit who “dissipates,”entering a state much like sleep, can sense with theentire strand. (Sadly, it cannot understand what it sens-es.) Otherwise, even initiated spirits can only senseand think with their piece of the strand.

A number of ethereal scientists, inspired byAsklepios’ work, struggle to isolate and control thesestrands. Success could bring any number of rewards –a rapid transit system that celestials cannot use, a sim-pler form of initiation, or even mental control overDomains and legions of spirits!

ImageWhen innovators combined the ideas of “explo-

sions” and “celebrations,” some came up with fire-works and some glorified terrorism. No one, howev-er, invented an exploding holiday. Basic conceptscombine to create more sophisticated ideas, notunholy blends of the original images. When strands ofprimal ideas knot together, they create complex ideas.Spirits see their “bodies,” the knots of primal elementsinside them, as the complex image which that knotcreates. Their body is an “Image” – something like“villainous, six-armed violinist” or “garden gnomewith fangs.”

Cutting off the hand of a swashbuckling pirate,Asklepios notes, does not change his Image to “one-handed pirate” any more than putting on a hat makeshim a “pirate in a hat.” Mind hits and soul hits takeeffect regardless of Image. Visible damage justexpresses how that Image naturally looks when hurt.Thus, an “invulnerable pirate,” in the Marches, can behit until he dies without ever looking damaged.

AffinitiesDreamers actively shape the Marches. Spirits inher-

it some of this ability from their human creators. Thispower ultimately derives from the soul, or whateverapproximation to souls ethereals possess, and there-fore remains a mystery. Asklepios’ text hypothesizesthe existence of active strands worked into a soul, eachcapable of manipulating the corresponding element.This (he believed) is what gives rise to affinities, anethereal’s power over certain elements in dream andreality. Asklepios demonstrates that Domain powersderive from the general pool of sleepingminds. The figments’ affinities come from thelingering will of the dreamer that createdthem. Unfortunately, Asklepios could notdirectly verify the existence of active strands.

The MindEthereal self-awareness derives pri-

marily from their Celestial Forces.While humans categorize the sense of“I” as a mental construct, it does notbelong in the Marches. Concepts likeFear and Society form elementalstrands. The ego and the sense of selfdo not. In short, while most of an ethe-real’s mind is made of Marches stuff – a pseudo-phys-ical part of its Image – some of it is not. Its sapienceand its ability to dream exist on a different level. Somethink of it as the ethereal soul. Others think of it as theethereal mind.

Either way, something pervades an ethereal’s Imageand elemental nature, allowing it to think and havesome measure of Free Will. Before initiation, thisconsciousness exists primarily within its Image.Afterward, some of it lives within its elements as well.

ANATOMY OF AN ETHEREAL

Each section below describes one thematicgroup of elements (such as “AstronomicalConcepts”) and focuses on one particular element from that group (e.g., “the Sun”).The first sections – “On the Surface,”“Personality,” and “In Human Society” –describe that particular element. The sectionon “The Others” describes other elements ofthe group, especially as they differ from thedetailed one. The suggested Dreads andResources apply to all elements in the group.

To gain insight into the other spirits in anelement group, use the depicted element asthe baseline. A Darkness spirit should con-cern itself with the same superficial appear-ances that Light spirits do. However, its ele-mental nature motivates it to conceal its flawsrather than attract attention to its virtues.

Spirits vary as much as humans do. Thereare female Sun-spirits and male Moons, heal-ing Waters, cuddly Beasts and poisonous Plants. The ele-ment descriptions below are not gospel, but rather a pic-ture of the statistical mean. Not all spirits focus on thesame aspects of their elements. Trends may vary withtime. Even absolute statements have exceptions.

AStronomicalConceptS: The Sun

The world turns, far below.

Common astronomical elements include the Sun, theMoon, and the Stars. These “elements of the upper reach-es” have given light, warmth, and beauty to the worldsince the very first dreams began. Since the dawn ofrecorded time, they have reigned over the seasons, thetides, and the harvest. Exalted, set above the world, majes-tic, and abstract – ethereals who awaken these elements intheir spirit consider themselves royalty. They are notentirely wrong.

The Sun, in particular, represents the ruler of the worldand the King of the sky. Majestic and golden, he seeks todrive away fear and darkness. Warmth is his specialty,though he understands light and beauty as well. Manypowerful spirits have a primary element of the Sun.

ON THE SURFACESpirits with a major Sun influence appear radiant

and larger than life. They cultivate grandeur and not

elegance. A suit of gleaming golden armor suits themwell in combat, but so does a lion skin and loincloth.Most prefer dark-skinned vessels to pale ones. Somehave a fondness for golden hair. They often seem strik-ingly healthy and vigorous. A few of the nastier Sun-strand ethereals have signature blemishes suggestingskin cancer.

Traveling through the Marches, these ethereals favorthe shapes of “noble” animals: hawks, stags, unicorns,bears, dolphins, and great cats, among others. They fightdeviously but without treachery, considering betrayalbeneath them. Their homes often resemble small, clean-ly-designed temples or shrines after the Hellenic orJapanese mold.

PERSONALITYEthereals of the Sun consider their nature a weighty

responsibility, a burden as well as a gift. Fueled by thefires of the life-father Sun burning in their hearts, theymust set an example for all to follow. Whatever angelsmight say of “soulless ethereals,” they know they have ashining destiny to fulfill. Arrogant, vain, honest, valor-ous, and honorable to a fault, they seek to burn theirname into the Marches’ history.

The Sun hangs in the sky far above the Earth. Eventson Earth rarely have much impact on its activities.Similarly, the changing situation in the gross pseudo-material world of the Marches rarely changes a Sun-strand spirit’s plans or beliefs. Its thoughts soar the dizzy-ing heights of speculation, abstraction, genius, and glory;reality rarely penetrates.24


“LOST” SONGSA “critical mass” of spirits of a given element must know a

Song before it can be studied from a strand. This keeps mostlost and secret Songs safe. However, it’s possible that one ortwo “lost” Songs remain latent in one element or another – justwaiting for someone to do the research. A good example of thisis the “lost” Ethereal Song of Exchange (p. 66). Heaven makesevery effort to suppress this Song, but it keeps popping backup. Maybe Family spirits can study this Song from their strand,with a lot of extra work – that would explain Heaven’s failure!

Making a lost or secret Song available through an element isa major plot device. Granting one should always be the GM’sidea; players should not expect such an in-character treat. Onereason a GM might offer a lost Song to a PC is to catapult aspirit to prominence in a celestial-focused game.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYThe brilliant intensity of a Sun-strand ethereal’s atten-

tion has just the right overtones of warmth to make ahuman feel special. The Sun’s track record with humanssparkles. Ethereals of the Sun often take flesh as salesmen,social workers, psychologists, human resources managers,hostage negotiators, and other professionals whose careerbenefits from their unique charm. Other times, they takeon leadership positions – executive director, politician,union boss – to better reflect their natural superiority.

THE OTHERSThe Moon much resembles the Sun, but acts as sage,

wise woman, and mother rather than King and father. Sheunriddles the mysteries of life in the name of the Sun’scauses and her own. Her own secrets, however, she keepsinviolate. Her deceptions are impenetrable. The Starsrepresent the subject of a quest and the realization ofhopes. Others must prove themselves worthy to claim thestars’ beauty or their help, but once someone has done so,the stars do not fail him.

SUGGESTED DREADSSignificant failure. Losing control over a situation

important to its plans. Darkness. Becoming lost in thedarkness. Discovering itself unimportant. Acting dishon-orably. Acting cowardly. Acting without justice.Undignified situations. Cold. Severe cold. Abandoning aproject. Any failure. A moonless night. The full light ofday. Mist. Revelation of its secrets. The Sun dreads theundead, the Moon fears Balseraphic lies, and many Starshate the work of Fate on Earth.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources from

Astronomical strands:✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Astronomy, Astrology,

Great Deeds of History);✠ Lying, Savoir-Faire, and Seduction;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Ethereal), Entropy

(Corporeal), Healing, Light, Motion (Corporeal),Projection (Corporeal, Ethereal), and Spirit Speech(Celestial);

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Nightmares(Ethereal), Nimbus (Ethereal), or Truth.

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Deception [Moon], Divination, Glamour, Light,

Luck, Obscurement.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Angels came, terrible and fearful things, to

steal our place in the sky. What merit is there in theirlove if their love does not recognize our merit?

Demons: That treacherous and unseemly rabble! Atime will come when we shall sweep them from ourMarches and claim Beleth’s Tower as our own.

ClaSSical ElementS: Water

Simple principles, in combination, create the world.

Classical Elements include Winds, Water, Flame, andRock. Three shape the world with furious energy. Onemolds the realms with its passive strength. The classicalelements fight tooth and nail for supremacy and survival,but stand united in one belief: the balance between rock’sresistance to change and the metamorphic power of winds,water, and flame gives rise to every event in all three 25


THE MIGRATIONOF STARS

Spirits who awaken an element of the upperreaches acknowledge with some reluctance thatthey embody concepts of the Sun, the Moon, andthe Stars, rather than the glorious heavenly bod-ies themselves. Some argue, however, that thestory does not end there. According to some FarMarches travelers, once in every seven years thesky opens above an unnamed Domain and thestars descend into the ethereal realm. They wearthe shapes of princes and princesses, with a ret-inue of perfect servants, yet their nature is clear.For a month – so Sinbad claims, who followedthem on the sly – they wend their way throughthe strangest lands of fable until they enter to acave guarded by three monsters; and for all hisefforts to slip in behind them, he does not knowwhere they go thence. Ethereals of astronomicalconcepts argue, however dubiously, that thestrands of Sun, Moon, and Stars are not justthings of dream but rather dreams infused in thatcave with the true essence of the lords and ladiesof the sky.

realms. Earth and water smother fires, winds and watererode stone, rock scatters the wind and flames boil water –but the classical elements are rivals, not enemies. Theystruggle because their struggle creates reality. Even in theabsence of physical winds, water, flame, and rock, the prin-ciples they embody carve out the course of history.

Other classical elements, such as Wood and Metal,exist. They are under-represented in the Marches, savein Domains where Eastern myths hold sway. There, theyare considered to be opposites of Winds, Water, andFlame – with Rock, they balance the energies with theirown quiet power.

Water, in particular, represents change through flexi-bility, dedication, and endless reserves of strength.Water-strand ethereals have a primal tie to the cloud-bursts that drown villages, the floods that rip housesfrom their foundations, the rivers that slice throughmountains and dig deep chasms in the plains – and theoases that give rise to towns in harsh lands.

ON THE SURFACESome Water spirits have long clean bodies. Others

have massive girth, with stomachs curved like lake bot-toms and limbs swollen like rain-filled rivers. All movewith a smooth, lithe grace. Their bodies instinctivelytake the path of least resistance. Most are pale. Somehave a murkier color scheme.

Water spirits travel the Marches in aquatic shapes, ofcourse, scissoring through the mists as sharks, dolphins,swordfish, and even orca. Some become rivers, dozens orhundreds of yards of rushing water tumbling toward

their destination. Water spirits do notfight fair, and often have a dozen con-tingency plans before a battle begins.Their homes resemble lakebeds,riverbeds, giant bowls, and stormclouds. (Some of the latter are mobilemicro-Domains; see p. 105.)

PERSONALITYSpirits of the Classical Elements

presume that they create the worldthey live in. They can make anythingor anyone useful, helpful, or beautiful.For Water spirits, all it takes is cuttingaway the obstacles and the detritusuntil the pure entity within shines out.Typically amoral, they use any toolthat comes to hand to do that cutting– devious treachery, force, sweet per-suasion, skill, love, hate, generosity, orpatience. Their motivations vary, butmost have a “Big Picture” goal fortheir life. Achieving it, they set a newgoal and move on.

Ethereals influenced by Water havetricky, capable minds, always brim-ming with new approaches to oldproblems. So fluid are their thoughts,in fact, that they find committing to asingle plan of action difficult. Theyhold their strength in reserve – some-times for minutes, rarely for years,

and often for “too long.”Many spirits with a classical strand cultivate a certain

anonymity. They conceal their names and origins anduse only heavily descriptive nicknames (“One-Eye,”“Redbeard”). This lets them imagine themselves localincarnations of the four world-shaping classical elementsand not weak spirits with a touch of one such elementinside them. This is a distinct step up!26


WORDS AND ELEMENTSCelestial Words and ethereal strands have certain similarities, especially

noticeable with the Classical Elements and the Archangels of Fire, the Wind,and Stone. However, there are differences. Chief among them, as celestials arequick to point out, is that even strands which embody elemental concepts –things which are rooted deeply in the Symphonic harmonies of the corporealworld such as Flowers or Stone – are more malleable by human perceptionsthan equivalent Words.

For example: the Truth of Flowers encompasses many things, including theslow ruthlessness of vegetative battles for survival. So an angel of Flowers maybe violent as a last resort, because the Symphonic concept of plants includes theirslow, unending warfare. The essence of a strand of plants or flowers began withthat truth, and still includes it . . . but it has been altered by human perceptionsof “healing herbs” or “gentle flowers,” not to mention metaphors for helpless-ness like “wheat before the scythe.” And human dreams of plants tend to weavethe Plants strand with strands of food, of healing, of interior decoration . . . cre-ating Plants spirits “contaminated” with other ideas. An ethereal whose Plantstrands are combined with these other elements may be doomed to be a victim;even if cornered, it would be unable to fight back. It is passive, a prey-thing, andcannot kill.

Angels and demons say this proves ethereals are deluded and weaker beings,slaves to human “groupthink.” Ethereals tend to reply that they are more flex-ible because of their link to complex humanity, and besides, Divine and InfernalWords are merely strands given power by their linkage to the strand of TheAlmighty. (Celestials often retort, “Why hasn’t any other ethereal awakenedthat strand, then?” and the conversation goes downhill from there.)

IN HUMAN SOCIETYHumans instinctively recognize the primal nature

of Water-strand spirits. They treat such spirits withrespect but maintain a comfortable distance. Spirits ofWater seek Roles that highlight their creative flexibil-ity – engineers, scientists, military and political tacti-cians, troubleshooters, marketing executives, painters,and so forth. However, these spirits also find them-selves in atypical careers – dogcatcher, model, transla-tor, streetwalker, and so forth – as suits their ever-changing agendas in society.

THE OTHERSFlame takes an even more destructive approach to

the world, aggressive and fierce. It does not cut itsway to the hidden utility and beauty inside things: itburns them into shape! Winds have a less fearsomeapproach. If the tools to hand do not satisfy them,they scour the world for tools that will. Thisapproach seems non-violent – but God help thehuman who gets in their way. Rock shapes the world byinfusing it with its own strength.

Thus, Water would reform a drug addict by killingthe local suppliers. Flame would make his life Helluntil he reformed. Winds would search theworld for a suitable man who was not addictedto drugs. A spirit of Rock would counsel theaddict, trying to resolve the problems thatput him on drugs to begin with.

SUGGESTED DREADSBurning. Immersion. Suffocation.

Incarceration. Powerlessness. Stillness.Exposure of its true name. Witnessing thephysical destruction of its element inquantity. Failing to shape the world usingits element’s approach – indirect force forwater, direct force for fire, supportiveaction for rock, and a study of all optionsfor the winds. Having someone manipulateit using the approach of an opposing ele-ment. Losing ground on its current grandplan. Running out of ideas. Chaos. The void.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESAs four pieces of a larger process, spirits with a

Classical strand can access powers tied to all four ele-ments – although those from “opposed” elements make

them uncomfortable. Spirits can learn the followingResources from Classical strands:

✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Alchemy, Physics,Fire Fighting);

✠ The Songs of Form (Corporeal,Celestial), Healing, Light (Corporeal),

Motion (Corporeal, Ethereal), Shields(Corporeal), and Thunder;

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs ofFire, Ice and Numinous Corpus (Fins,Plates).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Air, Cold [Water as ice],

Drowning, Fire, Minerals, Water.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: In a place far from this

world, fire, water, earth, and air met.By their meeting, they formed aGod. So vain was He that He sentHis children to kill the four whofathered Him. He shall learn better

when they succeed, and He winks outlike a dreamscape on a dreamer’s wak-

ing.Demons: They have no truth in them,

no primal glory. The world does not wel-come them. Still, they make good allies.

Strong enemies. Unpleasant masters. 27E L E M E N T S A N D I N I T I A T I O N

ZANG WANXIAO’SSALAMANDER RANCH

Zang Wanxiao’s Far Marches Domain employs some of thetightest security in the ethereal realm. No one still capable ofcommunication knows exactly what goes on inside her obsidi-an fortress. Most important people in the Marches do know,however, that if they need shock troops or bodyguards, andprice is no object, Zang Wanxiao is the person to talk to. Someartifact, gateway, captive dreamer, scientific process, or breed-ing farm within her Domain can produce an apparently unlim-ited supply of salamanders – spirits of flame, and in this caseprimal figments thereof. Wanxiao’s salamanders are sufficient-ly independent from the Domain of their birth that they cantravel the Marches. Zang Wanxiao quite happily sells theminto slavery for the duration of their existence – about a month,that is – and her prices are exorbitant but sane.

EmotionS: FearThe world is a thin cloth of substance over a masonry of pas-

sion.

Common emotion elements include Fear, Hunger,Love, Lust, and Pain. They drive the bestial animaldreams and stir beneath the elaborate ornamentation ofhuman dreamscapes. Vibrantly alive, primitive and fero-cious, emotional elements connect the Marches to the keymotivating forces in the human psyche and the reptilebrain.

Fear commands great respect in the Marches. Indreamscapes and on Earth, Fear regularly overpowersFury, Lust, Love, Torment, Pride, and all the rest of thatmotley crew. Fear inspires deeds of infamy and deeds ofglory. Humans can spend their whole lives haunted byone dream’s worth of Fear. Beleth favors the spirits ofFear; they delight her black heart.

ON THE SURFACEA patina of terror, invisible but real, surrounds most

spirits of Fear. Even much stronger ethereals, aware oftheir strength, feel reflexively nervous in a Fear-strandspirit’s presence. They must monitor their emotionscarefully to keep it from influencing them. Otherwise,Fear spirits take on any appearance they choose. Assmall a thing as a pen can terrify, in the proper context.

Fear spirits usually wear their Image’s natural shapewhen traveling the Marches. Favored alternatives(achieved by Dream-Shaping skill, p. 93) includeclouds of malign intent, spinning mirrors, and, ofcourse, black-winged Malakim, symbols of cruelty andhorror. In battle, Fear-strand ethereals fight to inflictmaximum pain and suffering. Their homes resembleordinary Earth or Domain scenes – the architecture offear requires a subtle touch.

PERSONALITYFear-strand spirits involve themselves intensely

in their activities. Built in part from emotion, theyknow a furious passion that few other ethereals canmatch. Having an Emotion element magnifiestheir ambitions and their Dreads. They love tocause Fear, of course – they come alive in fear’spresence, like a flower unfolding in the sun. Thestorm winds of emotion in their spirits do not endthere, however. Creatures of motivation, theywant to control others, to sway or dominate them,to weave the tapestry of events with their own two

(or six, or eight) hands. They seek power and rule, andif love seems a better tool than fear, they will use love. . . with fearful determination.

Emotion spirits are notorious for poor impulse con-trol. Passion gives them strength, fueling and directingtheir incisive intellects, but sometimes it overpowersthem and derails the most carefully developed plans.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYHumans find the presence of Fear ethereals extremely

uncomfortable. Like strong ethereals, humans can cen-sor their fear if they do not rationally consider the spiritdangerous – but it remains a tangible presence. DaringFear-strand spirits choose Roles where this gives them anadvantage. Athletes, lawyers, scientists, PIs, and corpo-rate raiders all benefit from a heightened ability to intim-idate others. Conservative spirits of Fear choose Rolesthat make fear seem natural, to avoid angelic attention.Terrifying IRS agents, cops, military sergeants, gang-sters, and serial killers do not strike others as unusual.28


THE BEASTS OF PASSIONSome claim that Apunej Thanchvil, a woman of the Etruscan

people, dreamed more powerfully than any human born beforeor since. A single dream – one of only three she dreamt in all herlife – created the 14 beasts of passion, magnificent primal spiritsin animal shape. Each embodies a single emotion “more truly”than any other spirit known; when the nameless Red Bull ofAnger draws near, entire Domains succumb to riot. ‘Khrul Shes,Silver Bear of Delight, can incapacitate all but the most hardenedServitors of Laurence with laughter. Zad Par Bcu, the AbhorrentHawk, drives all others away with her approach; none saveApunej has ever seen her color. Five of the beasts have been miss-ing in action for over a millennium. Some say they saw angelsover the body of Lce’i Rnam Shes, the Black Lion of Jealousy.Nevertheless, spirits whisper that Uriel himself placed thesebeasts under his protection during the Purity Crusade. Theirdeaths, the story claims, would cripple the human capacity foremotion. Not even Uriel wanted that.

The other Beasts of Passion are Shes Pa Phyi Ma, the MottledOwl of Grief; Tshad Min Gyi Blo, the Blue Toad of Confusion;Lce’i Yi, the Emerald Serpent of Pride; Tshogs Gi Rnam Shes,the Yellow Ram of Despair; Mig Gi Rnam Shes, the ClaretDragonfly of Lust; Shes Pa Rang Gsal, the Argent Spider ofMindfulness; Gsur, the Gray Worm of Ambition; Rna Ba’i RnamShes, the Russet Wolf of Hope; Lus Shes Kyi Khams, the IndigoAnglerfish of Loneliness; and Log Shes, the White Shark ofTorment.

THE OTHERSTraditional ethereal taxonomy identifies 33 major emo-

tional elements: Abhorrence, Adoration, Ambition,Amusement, Bewilderment, Bliss, Cheer, Despair,Devotion, Disgust, Dispassion, Exultation, Fear, Fervor,Fury, Gloom, Grief, Hope, Hunger, Jealousy, Loneliness,Love, Lust, Mindfulness, Mortification, Pain, Pride,Resentment, Selfishness, Selflessness, Sorrow, Stress, andTorment. As with the other element groups, minor, lesscommon elements from this group also exist. The variousEmotion-strand ethereals radiate the emotion embeddedin their nature, not fear. They bask in the presence of thatemotion, and not fear. They adopt Roles that justify ortake advantage of their own particular radiance.Otherwise, they resemble Fear-strand spirits.

SUGGESTED DREADSWatching its attempt to inspire an emotion backfire,

extinguishing that emotion or creating an opposite emo-tion (fear to humor, cheer to despair, etc.) instead. Othersescaping its control. Suppressing its emotional reaction toan important situation. Working with computers, zom-bies, actuaries, and other emotionless automata. Whileinside a dreamscape, permitting the dreamer to enterBlandine’s Marches – or, for emotions like Love, Beleth’sDomain. Loneliness – being without someone to inspirean emotion in.

Some Emotion spirits have apparently unrelatedDreads. Their increased emotional intensity magnifiestheir worst pre-initiation fear. Some possible Dreads are:Failing its pagan Superior. Being shown up by a rival.Confronting celestials.

A spirit might also manifest a normal Dread and a FearDiscord.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources from Emotion

strands:✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Psychology, Drama);✠ Artistry, Emote, and Seduction;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Ethereal), Charm, Entropy

(Ethereal, Celestial), Form (Ethereal), Healing (Ethereal),Motion (Ethereal), Possession, and Tongues (Ethereal);

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Empathy (Ethereal),Nightmares, Nimbus (Ethereal), Revulsion (Ethereal),Sensation (Ethereal), and Solace (Ethereal).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Air, Emotions [often, these spirits have several

Emotion affinities], Speed.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Beasts! Monsters! Abominations! They stole

from us. The Earth is our right! The Marches are ourright! I spit on them. May their God reject them. May cor-ruption grow in their oh-so-pure souls. May Heaven falland may the Earth be damned. Nothing else would punishthem enough.

Demons: They have done us one favor. They have savedus from the wrath of Heaven. For this we must pay theDanegeld forever after. Or so they would have us believe.

Information: NewSThe world is all and only those things that we believe to exist.

Most elements are life’s concepts of the world.Information elements are life’s concepts of life’s conceptsof the world. A human’s dream of his grandmother dyinginvolves the element of Death, even though it all takesplace within his mind. A human’s dream of knowing abouthis grandmother’s death involves the element ofKnowledge. Information elements concern themselveswith things unseen – with understanding the world andwith awareness of truths beyond the confines of thesenses. Knowledge and Wisdom collect true con-cepts under their aegis. Faith and Imagination over-see false or unprovable concepts. Perspective andPerception embody the murkier middle ground ofhalf-truth. Information spirits are masters of all theydo not survey.

News stands out among the commonInformation elements. It represents informationin motion. It represents fact and fancy cut freeof a single mind, able to travel the world on itsown recognizance. Heralds of the Marches,the ethereals of News spread story and truthin the name of their inner muse: informa-tion’s need to propagate itself, lest it be for-gotten. Most Domains welcome them.

ON THE SURFACELike most Information ethereals, spirits

of News seem semi-visible in the Marches – not quitethere, a bit more abstract than the ethereals around them.They like to wear “traveling costume,” adorning theirappearance with symbols of speed. Winged boots, a her-ald’s trumpet, cheetah fur, a hawk’s shape, sports car fins,and back-mounted jet engines all show off their naturalrole and mobility. 29


Modern News spirits often travel the ethereal realm aslengths of fiber-optic cable, the wire snaking ahead at abreakneck pace and vanishing to the rear as bits sizzledown its length. Other popular shapes include ravens,the wind, and equestrian messengers. News spirits avoidbattle, although many of them have a library’s worth oftactical knowledge memorized. They prefer mobilemicro-Domains (see p. 105) as homes, but occasionallysettle down in a home resembling abstract artwork or apublic service building.

PERSONALITYNews spirits tend to view other

ethereals with friendly disdain.Spirits, in News’ worldview,look a lot like uppity bits ofinformation that don’t likebeing thrown in a mail sackand carted off to the next stop.True, spirits listen to the newsthat News spirits bring. Some –the really interesting ones –generate news worth the telling.For these virtues, News forgivesspirits their folly. Still, spirits ofother elements who considerthemselves the equals ofInformation’s ethereals are just plainpresumptuous.

Ethereals with a strong News elementdo not like to settle down. Like Ofanim, they prefer tokeep on the move. Like most of their Information kin,News spirits tend to assume a “clean” world – one wherethe unknown and the inexplicable plays a small role. AnInformation spirit who understands logistics and strategymakes a magnificent general. An Information spirit whoonly knows strategy will not even think to ask whetherthe troops can implement its grand plans.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYHumans fascinate News spirits. Homo sapiens is a big

ambulatory pile of meat . . . and a living storehouse for ahundred million bits of information. Given the chance,some News spirits study humans for hours – before theirown need to be on the move kicks in. News spirits appealto humans, too, with their gossip, stories, and earlyreports on things of interest. Preferred Roles includereporter, writer, librarian, teacher, hairdresser, scientist,policy analyst, mailman, traveling salesman, guru, andtalent scout.

THE OTHERSOn average, other Information spirits lack News’

propensity for travel. Knowledge spirits replace it withan urge to collect both information and valuables.Wisdom spirits seek understanding, while ethereals ofPerception desire experience. Faith-strand etherealsspread faith on Earth, but also love the capacity for faithwithin themselves. Many travel the Marches in search ofsacred mysteries to behold – questions without answers,like the Topaz Gates that stand alone in the Far Marchesmists and sing the Theme of Time. Imagination Spiritscreate. Although they can tell the truth when they

choose, they are endless founts of story, inspiration,and lies. They enjoy nothing so much as a deceptionthat teaches the victim more than the truth would.Finally, Perspective spirits have a distinct inclinationtoward both empathy and selfishness; they under-stand others’ internal worlds, but are obsessed withtheir own. Most Information spirits have one ofthese elements, although other types exist.

SUGGESTED DREADSForgetting something important. Misunder-

standing something important. Yielding to a naturalinferior. Giving up on a mystery. Failing a test of

knowledge. Failing a meaningful test of knowledge.Losing a compendium of knowledge (computer databaseon disk, valuable tome, public library). Silence. Refusingto share non-confidential information. Refusing to shareany information. Witnessing inexplicable events.Permitting a preventable destruction of information –book-burning, a cover-up, the release of a maliciouscomputer virus. Discovering that a lie has taken it in.Admitting a lack of knowledge. Some News spiritsDread personal involvement in the events they witnessand report on. Many Information spirits, the mostabstract of the whole Marches lot, can’t handle the ideaof performing certain “manifestly” corporeal activities.For some, this means mucking out chamber pots. Forothers, it means violence.


Information strands:✠ Any Knowledge or Language skill not either secret

or extremely rare;✠ Artistry, Detect Lies, or Lying;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Celestial), Light (Ethereal),

Possession, Projection (Corporeal, Ethereal), orTongues;30


✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Direction, Fire(Ethereal), Memory (Ethereal), or Truth (Corporeal,Ethereal).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Books, Deception [Imagination/Faith],

Divination, Obscurement, Speed [News].

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Creatures truly beyond our hegemony.

The celestial is not, whatever they say, a “higher”realm than ours. The soul is not supreme over themind. Yet the existence of peers so different from our-selves is fascinating. We do not understand them. Canwe understand them? Can the mind comprehend thesoul? Can the soul . . . do soul things to the mind?

Demons: Demons wish to be our friends, becausedemons hope to exploit us. History shows, manytimes over, that friends like the demons do more dam-age in the end than the vilest of enemies. This speaksonly of demons as a group, of course; individuals vary.

Life: BeaStSThe world is a test of our skill at survival.

Common elements of Life include Beasts and Plants.Feral and wild, these elements do not accept the elegantlies and pretenses of society. They see only the savagegarden. It lurks beneath the surface of the civilizedplaces, a morass of animal motivations that drives appar-ently sophisticated and elegant discourse. In the wilds ofEarth and the Far Marches, the savage garden casts offthe mask of culture and shines in all its untamed glory.The only law of the savage garden is endure – whateverthe cost.

Human imagination has corrupted the elements ofLife. The Beasts strand remains the purer of the two, buthuman knowledge of domestication has tainted itsprimeval nature. Some Beasts initiates are even pleasant.The Plants strand has suffered far more. Under theweight of human herbalism and medicine, it warped andtook on connotations of “healing” and “utility” – anobject lesson for any spirit tempted to consider humansirrelevant!

Life elements can manifest in dreams and myths with-out actual animal or plant images in them. Humans andsemi-humans graphically displaying their bestial heritage– with the kind of primitive behavior found in the savagegarden – appear in dreams touched by Life.

ON THE SURFACEBeasts-strand spirits never look tame. Even at their

most charming, they have a touch of the wild clinging tothem – a tiny piece of “Nature, red in tooth and claw.”Some move like predators. Others have the hyperactivenerves of prey. In their manner, dress, and habits ofspeech, all display a bestial focus on the basic necessitiesof life.

Most Beasts spirits identify with a specific animal type,and wear that shape when traveling. They approach bat-tle with more ferocity than subtlety. Their homes oftenresemble dens, warrens, nests, or hives. A few homesresemble modern buildings with Nature creeping in atthe edges – weeds sprout among the floor tiles, vinesstrangle the water cooler, and the howls of coyotes dis-turb the night.

PERSONALITYSpirits of Beasts have no patience for superficiality and

deceit in others. (They themselves can be perfectly cun-ning, if it suits their Image and whim.) Their natureimpels them to consider the underlying truth of any sit-uation, because surface appearances can conceal dangerand opportunity. Perceiving the physical aspects of theworld as preeminent, they prefer shiny treasures to papercurrency, athletics to theater, and strong leaders to astuteones. They live in the present rather than the past or thefuture. 31


THE INVERSE DATA STORESeveral Domains have tried to build an ultimate reposito-

ry of knowledge. It would contain examples of or referenceson all things known or imagined – the spirits’ version of Yves’Library or Kronos’ Archives. All such efforts have failed,although the resulting libraries are quite impressive. TheInverse Data Store, created by the Chalk Entity ofCalenture, tackles this problem from a new angle. It seeks tocontain examples of or references on all things unknown orunimaginable – by those below Superiors in understanding, atleast. Gem Ferriza, who serves as the Chalk Entity’s voice,argues that this Data Store contains all truth and fictionimplicitly. “To know all things real or imagined, you needonly consider all possibilities. Subtract those found withinour Citadel. Then take what remains.” Few ethereals visitthe Store; some of the creatures beyond knowledge andimagination have teeth.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYBeasts-strand spirits prefer vessels that put them near

the top of the food chain. Bears, tigers, sharks, and evenhumans are popular. As humans, they try to play by therules – they must do so to survive! They have no intu-ition for rules nonsensical by animal standards, however.Most understand the laws against murder. Many have adecent grasp of property laws. Drug and traffic laws –sometimes realistic, often highly theoretical – eludethem. Few Beasts understand the logic behind politenessto inferiors, and Beasts spirits have no grasp of fashionpast simple display to impress a mate.

THE OTHERSPlants spirits focus on growth and competition. They

see themselves as locked in a constant race with all theirenemies to claim the resources of the world.The tallest plants seize the sun. Their near-by rivals die. As a plant’s roots seek water,Plants spirits seek to gather allies and trea-sures to support their endless striving. As aplant’s leaves absorb the strength of the sun,so Plants spirits take from the world withoutquestion or qualm. The ambition that drivesthese spirits to their extremes of ruthlessnessand greed varies. Many simply desire sur-vival or personal power. However, as plantswere the first medicine known to man,many ethereals with a Plants strand seekultimately to heal and to build. A great num-ber of those are even pacifistic! Gatheringpower and crushing their enemies – socially,when violence becomes anathema to them –simply makes them feel safe and effective asthey pursue their benevolence.

SUGGESTED DREADSRisking its life. Risking its life for anything

but a loved one. Ending life. Wasting time on somethingsuperficial. Sacrificing present pleasures for future gain.Spending 24 hours in an urban area. Going without foodor water, even though spirits and vessels can normally sur-vive without such things. Showing mercy. Showing weak-ness. Failing to repel an invasion of its territory. Pointlesscruelty. Pointless self-sacrifice. (Or both.) Failing toadvance the interests of the animal species it identifieswith. Dealing out physical violence [some Plants].Physical violence [some Plants]. Being trapped. Beinghunted.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESThe Life strands share a single essence. Initiating in any

Life element gives access to the healing power of Plantsand the combat abilities of Beasts. Spirits can learn the fol-lowing Resources from Life strands:

✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Animals, Plants, Herbalism);✠ Climbing, Dodge, Escape, Fighting, Move Silently,

Running, Survival, Swimming, and Tracking;✠ The Songs of Healing, Thunder, and Numinous

Corpus (Claws, Fangs, Feet, Horns, Tail, Wings);✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Cacophony

(Ethereal), Nemesis (Ethereal, Celestial), Sight(Corporeal) and Numinous Corpus (Eyes, Fins, Legs,Plates, Spines, Tentacles).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Animals, Fertility, Hunger, Obscurement, Plants,

Speed.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: They killed without cause and without reason.

That is not wildness. That is sickness. They are not saneand should be culled.

Demons: They resemble human developers. Theyhave no interest in destroying the wilds. In damaging theMarches. In killing spirits. Not even in bending spirits totheir will. They do these things merely as a byproduct oftheir blind concerns – marking their Prince’s territory.


THE FOREST BEYONDHOPE’S END

Beyond the last major Domain in the Far Marches lies the cliffnamed Hope. Miles below, a seething mass of green washesagainst the cliff in waves. Though it moves, this is not water, butrather vegetation – a single living plant, grown over millions ofyears from a single seed. Its thousand sprouts and vines andblooms resemble lesser plants and trees. In the center, it does notmove – unless there is danger. At its edges, it moves constantly,striving to spread itself across more land. No one knows why itcannot climb the cliff called Hope, yet only Hope holds it backfrom the Marches at large. In time, perhaps, it will climb its ownmass until it stands tall enough to pass this barrier. In the mean-time, spirits of Plants sometimes make a pilgrimage to this spot,to witness the greatest forest of the ethereal realm.

SenSeS: LightThe world is what you see.

Common elements of Sight include Light, Color, andDarkness. Elements of Hearing include Sound, Silence,and Euphony. The other senses have their own elements,all relatively common in the Marches. The Senses con-cern themselves with the visible, superficial properties ofthings. The Senses witness. They do not understand. Theylove appearances that evoke instinctive reactions.Beautiful faces, hideous bodies, and terrifying imagesplease them. Such sensory pictures affect human and ani-mal reactions directly, without the intervention ofthought.

Light, in particular, illumines. It embodies the ability tosee. It casts beauty and horror into stark relief. Lightloathes the hidden. It judges the truth in a desultory fash-ion, based on appearances alone – but it hates not know-ing the truth, and will seep through any crack to find it.

ON THE SURFACELooking at a Light-strand spirit, it is hard to imagine

that it does not possess every virtue it wishes for itself.Does it take pride in its engineering skills? Then it looksevery inch the brilliant engineer – even while bungling amechanical design. Does it take pride in its ability to act?Then it looks exactly like a glamorous movie star.However, this glamour does not apply to its words – theother four senses betray it. The spirit speaks without anactor’s grace or an engineer’s understanding.

Light-strand spirits often travel the Marches as will-o’-wisps and beams of prismatic light. They fight withmuch flash and (usually) little skill – but most avoid vio-lence. Illumination spreads itself through every corner oftheir homes.

PERSONALITYLight-strand spirits have many possible ambitions.

Many dream of great deeds. Others seek to be magnifi-cently villainous, wealthy, powerful, honorable, or justplain “cool.” Extremely vain, they cultivate an attractiveappearance and draw attention to their successes alongtheir chosen path. For most Light-strand spirits, in fact,the opinions others have of their success matters morethan success itself! Those who seek to be heroes performdeeds of showy heroism. The villains cultivate their foulreputations. Light spirits who dream of wealth oftendevote their energy to appearing wealthy rather than toaccumulating actual riches.

Deceiving ethereals of the Senses tends to be easy.Manipulating them is trivial. In most situations, theyaren’t the brightest bulbs in the lot. However, Sensesspirits can summon forth great reserves of insight andcreativity when the alternative is humiliation. They carea great deal about the image they project!

IN HUMAN SOCIETYLight-strand spirits usually choose Roles that allow

them to arrange their environment to match their expec-tations. Roles that come with sycophants have a particu-lar appeal – spirits of Light value the reassurance thatthey are every inch as successful as they (hope to) appear.Many Light spirits on Earth take Roles tied to the vari-ous arts. The rest treat their lives and careers as a kind ofart form, building a life that matches their design.

THE OTHERSSpirits of Colors resemble Light spirits, but the

drive to illuminate all things disappears. Rather, theywish to leave their mark on all they see. Life withoutinfluence frightens them. Often, they identify with asingle color, which becomes their “signature.” It fea-tures heavily in their personal style and its symbolic asso-ciations and physical manifestations are a part of themark they leave. Darkness-strand ethereals cultivatemystery and obscurity. They seek to conceal their flaws.Often, their virtues also disappear into the shadows oftheir nature.

The various spirits of other Senses have equivalentnatures: Touch (e.g., Sharp, Prickle, Soft) enjoys touch-ing, even if no obvious mark is left (their vessels may evenbe blind!); Hearing (Music, Cacophony, Middle-C) mustbe heard; Taste-strand ethereals (Salty, Bitter, Sweet,Sour) gravitate toward appropriate chefs and food critics– either such humans’ dreams, or as their own Roles.

SUGGESTED DREADSSocial invisibility. Public exposure of a flaw or failing.

Humiliation. Failing to uncover a truth. Failing to leaveits mark. Failing to produce a reaction. Blindness. Sight.Violation of its ability to think of itself as the image ittries to project. Looking too far past appearances.Absolute darkness. Absolute silence. Being shown up.Research. Witnessing the destruction of the beautiful.Witnessing the destruction of the hideous. Displayingemotional or intellectual depth. Using physical force.Not reacting as a living thing would to a strong visualstimulus. 33


Light-strand spirits have a heavy investment in theirsocial persona – the person they portray themselves asbeing. They sometimes Dread things that traditionallyoppose that person. (A “scientist” might Dread thetrappings of faith. A “rogue cop” might Dread settlingdown.) Players of Colors spirits should define the sym-bolic associations for their favored color. The charac-ter might Dread events conceptually opposed to theseassociations.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources from Senses

strands:✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Art, Music, Spectography);✠ Artistry, Emote, Move Silently, Singing, and

Tracking;✠ The Songs of Form (Ethereal, Celestial), Light,

Projection (Corporeal, Ethereal), Shields (Celestial), andThunder;

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Cacophony(Corporeal, Ethereal), Darkness (Corporeal, Ethereal),Fire (Celestial), Shattering (Ethereal), Sight, and Silence(Corporeal, Ethereal).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Deception, Entrancement, Glamour, Light, Luck,

Obscurement.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Glorious creatures! Naturally, they kill only

evil spirits. Well, and other spirits that they mistakenlythink are evil. Angels make an awful lot of mistakes. Bestto be careful.

Demons: Magnificent villains! At least, many are. Theremainder seem somewhat sordid. Soiled. Their unim-portant, petty malignity is an embarrassment to Hell.

Society: the FamilyYour world is nothing more than the people who matter

to you.

Common elements of Society include Culture,Nations, the Family, the Pack, and the Tribe. Aninvisible net of social pressures, punishments, andrewards, these elements surround every living mind.Even the animals are not immune. They love; theygrieve; they know the bond between parent and child;they gather in packs. The fishers who wield this invis-ible net are the spirits of Society. Peerlessly skilled atthe arts of interpersonal relations, these spirits radiatenatural charisma, manipulate others brilliantly, andmatch-make as few others can.

The element of the Family operates on a very smalland local scale, but it forms both powerful and enduringties. Spirits of the Family work with small groups, bindingthem in a common cause. Family itself connects people ona level deeper than most arguments and conflicts. Spiritsof Family, more limited, strive to eliminate and smoothover conflict. Some help the group reach consensus.Others enforce the will of the leader. A few try to becomeleaders themselves.

ON THE SURFACESpirits of Family have a pleasant demeanor. When

young, they favor neutral shapes – bland, featurelesshumans, blobby shapes with limbs, and so forth. As theyage, they assume shapes closer to composites of the peo-ple they care about. Or they may adopt shapes thatreflect their present company. When forming relation-ships, they quickly establish a basic rapport and mutualsense of kinship.

Family spirits often adopt the shapes of pack animalswhen traveling in the Marches. They fight underhanded-ly – every blow is metaphorically “below the belt.” Theybuild comfortably appointed homes, often filled with fig-ments that they capture and treat as pets.

PERSONALITYSpirits of Family, naturally, seek to form family groups.

Their nature as ethereals cruelly denies them ties ofblood. They must adopt their family – and convince theirfamily members to adopt one another. Spirits capable offorming the family bond are slightly unusual; Family-strand ethereals have no easy task. They themselves pos-sess an intense ability to bond to their small familygroups. Outsiders face only the razor edge of their charmand social powers.


THE SUNDERED CASTLEDuring the Purity Crusade, an angel touched by the

Intervention of the Lord slew the ruling deity of a castle-Domain. In that moment, as if his blade had cut between a pro-jector and a film, the Domain itself flickered out. The only thingsthat remained were the voices of the people and the sounds ofcastle life. For centuries, the courtiers and warriors of thatDomain have endured as bodiless voices. Most have gone irre-deemably insane. The remainder cluster in what was once thegreat hall, exchanging stories of their physical days. No oneknows how the Domain might be restored. Even the cold-heart-ed consider this a shame – the castle held many unique treasures.

Society spirits tend to put social needs foremost. Mostwill risk death to protect their social position. Moreimportantly, most Family spirits will protect a familymember’s social position at the risk of that member’s life.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYThe natural charm of a Family-strand spirit rubs certain

humans the wrong way, such as those seriously hurt byfamily members or the family bond. The rest of mankindrespond positively to these ethereals by instinct. Familyspirits rarely adopt living humans as part of their personalfamily groups – corporeal beings are too short-lived,though dream-shades (p. 122) are possibilities – and henceact on Earth to advance the interests of their ethereal kin.(A few have projects of their own best pursued on Earth,such as the protection of a given lineage in the guise andImage of an “ancestor spirit,” but they are a minority.Purity’s angels took specific exception to such direct bat-tening off of “domesticated” humans.)

THE OTHERSSpirits of the Pack and the Tribe identify with larger

groups than Family-strand spirits do. Rather than focusing

on the survival and advancement of every member oftheir group, they focus on protecting the important mem-bers, values, and goals of their group. Spirits of Cultureand Nations take this to a further extreme. Dedicatingthemselves to entire Domains, pantheons, or multi-Domain causes, they care about individuals only whenthose individuals are immediately relevant.

SUGGESTED DREADSHarm to an important member of its society. Rejection

by an important member of its society. Isolation. Beingcast out. Losing status. Failure with check digit 6 on animportant social roll. Failure to settle an important con-flict in its society. Placing other needs (short of immediatesurvival) above social needs. Disobeying its society’sleader. Violating the principles of its society. Succumbingto an outsider’s charms – a disadvantage even for cold-hearted spirits, given the Songs, skills, and attunementsthat can help someone succumb. Witnessing the breakupof a family. Falling behind the trends. The failure of a pro-ject that its society as a whole supports.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources

from Society strands:✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Sociology,

Psychology, Culture X);✠ Detect Lies, Emote, Fast-Talk, Lying,

Savoir-Faire, and Seduction;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Ethereal,

Celestial), Charm, Harmony (Corporeal,Ethereal), Possession, or Tongues;

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Affinity(Ethereal), Opening (Ethereal, Celestial),Solace (Corporeal, Ethereal), or Unity(Ethereal).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Animals [Pack/Tribe], Deception,

Entrancement, Glamour, Motherhood.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Their social pattern – uniting

around a single individual, God – providesgreat protection against disorder and disloyal-ty. One might question its efficiency, however,given Hell’s spreading influence on Earth.

Demons: Anarchy and disloyalty poisonstheir society. Naturally, this produces treacher-ous, deceitful, and thoroughly unpleasantdemons. 35


MNEMONIC CRETINSThe Nightmare Surgeons, under Beleth’s patronage, study

grotesque arts of medicine only possible in the Marches. Theyknow the techniques for carving off an ethereal’s Forces tomake soulless and obedient homunculi. They can embed a tal-isman in a spirit’s flesh, infusing it with the relevant skill. Mostimportantly, in a painful three-day surgery, they can cut amnemonic cretin out of a spirit’s flesh.

Mnemonic cretins, fawning insectile symbionts, formunbreakable emotional bonds with their “parent” – the ethe-real from whose flesh they come. When in physical contactwith his parent, a mnemonic cretin can absorb memories toodangerous for that spirit to possess – or return memories pre-viously absorbed. Members of the Order of Broken Stone,Beleth’s agents in the Far Marches, use mnemonic cretins toseal away their knowledge that they work for the Princess ofNightmares. Until their cretin creeps out of the shadows andreminds them of their true allegiance, they do not know theyserve Beleth – making them perfect deep-cover agents.

Many spirits fear the possibility that they are “cretin-rid-den.” When a spirit actually sees its own symbiont, however,it reacts not with fear but with love. The symbiote is family, orsomething closer – a part of its soul.

StructureS: HomeSThe world sheathes the living, providing a setting for their

lives.

Common elements of Structures include Homes andBuildings. Before humans, Structures elements repre-sented hives, lairs, and even caves and territories. Now,endless human construction has made offices, serviceestablishments, and houses the dominant Structures.Artificial, created environments, precursors to Tech andcousins to Terrain, Structures elements represent controlover one’s surroundings. Some offer the warm reassur-ance that one controls one’s own world. Others carry theoppressive knowledge that others control it.

Home is where the heart is. The Homeselement represents the quality in a structurethat makes the heart reside there. A precon-scious sense of comfort surrounds homes –the knowledge that one is in one’s own terri-tory. Even when no physical structure exists,the effort invested to “claim” a place makesit a home. On the other hand, the most elab-orate dream-house does not invoke this ele-ment if the dreamer “knows” that no onelives there.

ON THE SURFACEMost Structures spirits look like created

things. When humanoid, some take on theshapes of wooden golems. Others becomerobots built from soap or coils of steel pipe.A few resemble three-ring binders come tolife, with snapping claws for hands and rif-fling sheaves of paper for abdomens. Onaverage, they tend to be massive creatures,with a natural “edge” in terms of sheer presence. Spiritsof Homes adopt shapes of this type, but add an aura ofconviviality and comfort. They look like “gentle giants”rather than fearsome manufactured monsters.

Most of these shapes can cover ground easily, soStructures spirits use them for travel. When enteringbattle, they sometimes add ferocious “frills” like side-mounted cannons and spinning spikes – although thisshapechanging does not affect the Power of theirattacks. Homes spirits usually build micro-Domains orresidences to match their Image. Sometimes theybuild a giant version of their Image or a favored shapeto live inside. This could be a walking colossus or amicro-Domain containing a 15-story hollow statue ofthemselves.

PERSONALITYHomes-strand spirits nurture and shelter others, but

they should not be mistaken for altruists. A Homes spir-it identifies deeply with its possessions and associates.They become a part of it, just as objects and residentsbecome part of a home. The darkest Homes spirits areoverprotective and domineering, going to any lengths tocontrol their associates’ lives. Brighter Homes spiritsshow prudence and restraint in their meddling. They canform loving friendships. They radiate genuine warmthrather than a mere aura of comfort. Even so, they stillmeddle. It’s a rare Homes spirit that lacks a passion fororder. It’s a rarer one yet who does not think of itself as“owning” its people.

Spirits of the Homes strand are legendarily stubborn inboth friendship and enmity. Once a spirit acquires aHomes spirit’s confidence, it takes grand or continuoustreachery to lose it! However, once lost, it can never beregained. The home divides the world into “outside” and“inside.” If someone winds up outside, he can never gohome again.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYHumans instinctively relax around Homes spirits.

Many exploit this edge, seeking employment as diplo-mats, salesmen, interrogators, and police officers. Theirfavorite business, of course, is construction. Participatingin the creation of a new structure – marvelous, upliftingstuff! Real estate jobs and work in the construction lobbycome in as close seconds.


FINAL SANCTUARYOn a barren hilltop in the Far Marches, an island in a sea of

mists, a small square temple stands. Arches on three sides openit to the world. Two heavy doors marked “Final Sanctuary”occupy the fourth. A spirit passing through these doors doesnot return to the hillside. Rather, it vanishes from mortal andethereal ken. Spirits fleeing the wrath of gods sometimes findthemselves at Final Sanctuary, intentionally or otherwise, andmust decide whether to dare the doors. Occasionally, a god orDomain ruler offers a criminal the option to pass through thosedoors as an alternative to punishment. Some spirits believe thatthe doors annihilate ethereals who go through them, funnelingtheir Forces and Essence to the Domain’s masters. Othersbelieve the stories that some spirits have returned from FinalSanctuary, unharmed but unable to speak of what they mighthave seen.

THE OTHERSBuildings spirits have a harsher edge. The animal

impressions of the great strange structures humansbuild has tainted the element. In addition to its conno-tations of utility, progress, and wealth, the Buildingselement reeks of the human conquest of the world. Asense of environmental havoc and death leaks outaround the edges. Buildings spirits do not bond to oth-ers; they simply dominate.

Some spirits have strands of elements like the Nest andthe Hive. These elements resemble Homes spirits inmost respects, but their most common shapes reflecttheir bestial creators. Humans feel less comfortablearound these spirits. Animals feel more so.

SUGGESTED DREADSLosing its home. Losing any fixture of its life.

Spending an hour out of sight of a developed area orDomain. Powerlessness – that is, inability to control orinfluence its environment. Failing to quash rebellion byone of “its” people. Entering a chaotic environment. Nottrying to force order down the throat of such an envi-ronment, once entered. Immolation. Witnessing demo-lition. Witnessing a demonstration of Nature’s superior-ity over human creation. Suffering entropic effects (e.g.,the Calabite resonance and the Songs of Entropy).Making last-minute changes to its plans. Choosing not toprotect one of “its” people or possessions. Turning itsback on a friendship. Making peace with an enemy.


Structures strands:✠ Any Knowledge related to construction, architec-

ture, or buildings;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Celestial), Form

(Corporeal), Harmony, Motion (Ethereal, Celestial),Possession, and Shields;

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Affinity (Corporeal,Ethereal), Forbidding (Corporeal), Opening(Corporeal), or Seals.

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Artifice, Drowning [i.e., smothering], Glamour,

Minerals, Motherhood.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Once, they came down into the Marches

like a fiery wind, a murderous primal force that sweptaway everything in its path. We must build a wall,

metaphorically and literally, against that wind.Otherwise, it will come again.

Demons: Water seeping into our foundations. Theyerode that which makes us who we are.

Struggle: the HuntThe world is whatever joy you can rip out of it in bloody

chunks.

Common elements of Struggle include Battle, Duels,the Hunt, and Warfare. The elements of Struggle repre-sent raw and bloody conflict between one creature andanother – hunts, battles for mating rights or pack domi-nance, cobra-mongoose combats, and so forth. Even for-mal warfare and honorable duels fall under the aegis ofStruggle, unless conducted so ceremonially that theblood does not show.

The Hunt, in particular, ties together hunger and thefear of death, both common ingredients in animaldreams. Uriel’s purge attracted the Primal Spirits of theHunt as heroin calls an addict, and vast numbers of themdied. Before that point, the Hunt had a strong Primalrepresentation in the Marches. Now, most spirits of theHunt have other elements mitigating their tendencytoward violence. Most Hunt-strand spirits act as huntersand not prey – the predators, after all, are the active partof the Hunt. 37


ON THE SURFACEEthereals with a major Hunt influence tend

toward a lean and rugged look. Whether theyhave a human-like, animalistic, or utterly alienappearance, they resemble a particularly fierce andhungry example of their type. The Hunt relies onfear, so they appear dangerous. The Hunt relieson speed, so they move quickly when they must.The Hunt requires patience, and so they can holdcompletely still for days. Staring contests withHunt-strand ethereals are exercises in futility.

When traveling through the Marches, theseethereals favor shapes like wolves, sharks, greatcats, ferrets, hunting hawks, and water moccasins– the sleeker, faster hunters of the animal world.When they fight, most prefer aggressive tacticsand unarmed combat. Their homes may resembleburrows, hives, or caves. Other times, they simplystake their claim to an undeveloped area in theMarches or a Domain and wander it at their will.

PERSONALITYEthereals of the Hunt tend to classify other creatures

as companions, rivals, or prey. A Hunt-strand spiritremains polite to rivals, if they do not cross its carefully-delineated boundaries – yet they remain rivals. It knowshow to pursue its prey in a subtle fashion, stalking aweaker enemy within the laws of the relevant Domain –yet the target remains prey. Few predators anywherepursue their victims more relentlessly. Few defend theirturf more carefully. Few Earthly companions care morefor their fellows than the Hunt spirits do.

Spirits of the Hunt find every possession and victorymore precious if they must pursue it first. Never satisfiedwith an easy triumph, they usually direct their effortstoward goals just barely within reach.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYHumans automatically identify Hunt-strand spirits as

dangerous and brutal beings. The body language of thespirit, unless it has great emotive skill, sends warning sig-nals to every living thing. Even in vessels that appearsmall, weak, and pretty, Hunt-strand spirits receive moreattention from police and authorities. These spirits oftentake Roles where brutality is appreciated: gangsters,enforcers, corporate sharks, and vigilantes. None arevegetarians, except as a disguise, and most prefer leatherand fur clothing.

THE OTHERSSpirits of Battle exceed even the Hunt in their aggres-

sive fervor. Their elemental makeup urges them to useviolence as an all-purpose tool: to establish dominance; totake the things they desire; and to extinguish threats,rivals, and enemies. Player characters with a Battle strandshould most likely struggle to contain their violent streak –a motivation giving rise to some powerful stories – ratherthan indulging it and killing everything around them.

Duels-strand spirits and spirits of Warfare embodymore purposeful struggles. A Duels element inclines aspirit to use combat to “measure” itself against an oppo-nent or personal standard. Warfare spirits have a deepunderstanding of the uses and purposes of violence.Like Battle spirits, they tend to use combat as an all-purpose solution, but from calculation rather than emo-tion. If a peaceful approach seems smarter, a Warfarespirit employs peace, and leaves the threat of war in thebackground.

SUGGESTED DREADSEncountering “prey” that refuses to flee or back down.

Fighting an enemy who refuses to fight back. Failing to“measure up” as a hunter, duelist, or warrior. Failing anally. Failing an ally due to military weakness. Abandoninga hunt or military action unfinished. Limiting its ambi-tion. Some Struggle spirits Dread the triumphs of their38


A THOUSAND BODIES DEEPThe Domains of Selkirk and Roxburgh went to war in

286 AD. The lady of Selkirk swore on her soul that shewould not lay down her sword until her banner flew fromAuchop Cairn, Roxburgh’s highest point. The lord ofRoxburgh swore similarly with regards to Selkirk’s EttrickPen. On the third night of war, a visiting trickster god stoleboth Auchop Cairn and Ettrick Pen away.

Roxburgh and Selkirk were well-matched, and the oathstaken were vile. The war continued for 600 years beforeGod, or the Marches, or the elements themselves couldbear it no longer. A bloody muck seeped from the mistbetween and beneath the two Domains, and Roxburgh andSelkirk sank. Yet the war still did not end. Every few days,bodies – a thing spirits do not normally leave behind – floatto the surface in proof. And, so the Wisdom spirits say,Roxburgh and Selkirk continue to sink, in a cloud of bloodand corpses, once a hundred and now a thousand bodiesdeep.

rivals or enemies, even when they themselves are notinvolved in the conflict. Many of Life’s non-cowardlyDreads (see p. 32) apply.


Struggle strands:✠ Dodge, Fighting, Move Silently, Tactics, Tracking,

and Weapons skills;✠ The Songs of Entropy (Ethereal, Celestial),

Thunder, and Numinous Corpus (Acid, Claws, Fangs,Feet, Horns, Tail, Tongue);

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Forbidding(Celestial), Might, Nemesis, Nightmares, Sight(Corporeal), and Numinous Corpus (Barbs,Spines).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Destruction, Filth [that is, gore],

Hunger, Puissance, Speed.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Why exactly did they come

to the Marches? Don’t they have theirown world? If they wanted to liveamong us, that would be different – butthey’ve tried to push us around since themoment they arrived. I refuse to accepttheir rule, and I do not acknowledge theirright to hunt in this territory.

Demons: Angels with a different name, really.The only difference between angels and demons isthat the angels want human souls in Heaven and thedemons want those souls in Hell. Look! This is me notcaring.

Tech: VehicleSMake the world what you want it to be.

Tech, as elements go, is a newcomer to the Marches.Only one spirit openly claims to be a Technological pri-mal spirit. Any others keep it very much under their hats.Tech’s representation among non-primal spirits is minus-cule. Its history, and therefore its benefits to the initiate,is small. Technology has had a huge impact on the wak-ing world, and in time will probably dominate theMarches. Right now, though, most dreams of renegademachines are dreams of Fear. Most dreams of starshipsare dreams of Winds and Battle. A typical dream about a

far-future computer-run dystopia involves the dark sideof Society. Only dreams where the technology takes asmuch of the stage as the things that technology does rely onTech elements.

The most prominent elements of Tech includeVehicles, Computers, and Machines in general. Nonequalify as “common,” though, and there are plenty ofothers out there.

The Vehicles element captures the idea that, by build-ing physical hulks of metal, humans have stolen the manaof the wind. They have given themselves the power toroam across countries as easily as a wolf can roam thewoods. The magic of Vehicles is not their power northeir form but the combination. With just mind, hands,

and will to bend and shape the steel, humans havetamed distance and made travel their slave.

ON THE SURFACEThe principles of motion and freedom

stir beneath a Vehicle spirit’s skin. Thesespirits move with inevitability and power,not grace, and they never seem to stop.They are massive, with cold eyes andinhuman faces. The very lines of theirform reflect their nature: geometric andprecisely symmetrical, like a machine and

not a living thing.Vehicles spirits naturally choose the

shapes of human vehicles, modern, anachro-nistic, or futuristic, when traveling. They are

direct and brutal in personal combat. Many areexpert tacticians when it comes to unit maneuvers.

Some indulge in cliché and build homes that resembleairports and garages. A few indulge more esoteric tastes– creating a miniature planet for their micro-Domain,for example, the better to travel great distances andcrunch over millions of microscopic buildings.

PERSONALITY“Just point me at your problems and stand back. There’s

nothing I can’t tear through with a running start and somemusic blasting.”

– Boneyard Red, Vehicles-strand spirit

Like most engine-driven creatures, spirits with aVehicles strand think in terms of raw power before sub-tlety. As incarnations of the technology that gave humansfreedom and speed, they love these two things as virtues.One confines a Vehicles spirit at one’s peril! Nor do thesespirits like to see others deprived of freedom. Vehicles aretools for travel as much as they are travelers themselves. 39


IN HUMAN SOCIETYHumans do not necessarily enjoy the company of Tech

spirits, but these spirits uplift them. A Tech spirit’s com-pany reminds humans emotionally that nothing is out-side the reach of human ambition. Knowing that they canachieve anything, humans achieve more. As their for-tunes improve, and vaguely understanding why, humansstart to think of Tech spirits as “lucky charms.” Tech spir-its naturally drift to the center of human cliques, the vitalforce around which those cliques turn.

Tech spirits often have a strong attachment to humansociety, wishing to serve it directly or indirectly. In sodoing, they validate their element’s worth as a tool ofhuman advancement.

THE OTHERSThe element of Computers is still finding itself, still

changing. On the one hand, it represents human controlover information and calculation. It transforms ordinarypeople into scientists and scholars. It gives away powerover text and mathematics that once only a few com-manded. But on the other hand, many people fear com-puters, seeing them as animated, wicked, hostile and ran-dom . . . and when they dream this, it becomes real in theMarches. Thus, some Computers-strand spirits have arigorous, intellectual, and rational approach to life andare friendly to man; others are chaotic, sneaky, and hostile. It is too early to know what will happen here;

perhaps there will be two opposed Computers strands!Spirits of Machines are the ultimate generalists, tool-users par excellence – they aspire to control everything inthe world around them and to master every skill.

SUGGESTED DREADSWitnessing a human’s disempowerment. Blackouts.

Harming human society. Harming humans. Failing toperform its function, as when a Telephone spirit fails todeliver a message or keep lines of communication open.Showing emotion. Demonstrating unreliability. Runningout of “power.” (That is, falling to 0 Essence. This Dreadalways costs Mind hits.) Loss of mobility, for Vehicles;loss of data, for Computers; and loss of effectiveness, forMachines. Some Structures Dreads (see p. 37) apply.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources from Tech

strands:✠ Any modern-Earth scientific or technical

Knowledge;✠ Chemistry, Computer Operation, Driving,

Electronics, Engineering, and weapons skills;✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Artifacts and

Machines.Suggested Affinities include:✠ Artifice, Divination, Lightning, Puissance, Speed.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: They lack up-to-dateness. In the modern

world, faith is obsolete.Demons: Similarly, evil is passé. When the world

actualizes the promise of technology and scarcity nolonger drives the economy, society’s interests and theinterests of each person will align. Evil will become fool-ish rather than profitable.

Terrain: MountainSWe are the substance of the world.

Common elements of Terrain include Mountains,Beaches, Forests, Plains, the Tundra, and the Sea. These“elements of the land” create the solid world, surroundingand supporting everything on the planet’s face. Terrainelements watch over the affairs of the land, making it pos-sible for life to exist, but they are not kind and they are notgentle. They do not exist for life. They do not care about40


THE SPIDERSILK FORGENear Blandine’s Marches, a web stretches between the

ground and the sky. A million spider-figments, or more,crawl on its massive framework. A spirit who stumblesinto the web risks its life. The swarm of red-and-blackspiders can kill an unlucky intruder in seconds, leavingonly a desiccated sac of dreamstuff in a silk cocoon. Butif a spirit voluntarily walks into the web, without coercionof any kind, then its true virtue becomes manifest. Inminutes, the busy spiders drain away every scrap of thespirit’s life while leaving its essential qualities behind.This takes the form of a tool for the spirit’s most devel-oped skill, a tool of nearly divine quality and a beauty asgreat as the spirit’s heart. No more than 20 spirits haveever made this sacrifice, so these tools are some of themost valuable items in the Marches – without occultpower but more precious than talismans, relics, and thelesser artifacts of the gods.

life. Terrain elements make it possible for lesser things tolive within them only as a byproduct of their own nature.Full of majesty, as old as the Earth itself, Terrain elementsknow that they fulfill one purpose of the universe simplyby existing.

The Mountains element contains in itself the stuff ofsnow, sheer rock, mighty forest, and howling wind. It radi-ates starkness, steepness, distant majesty, towering height,and the ancient power of stone. The Mountains are theGates to the World, the knife-edged peaks standingbetween the things that are seen and the things that arenot.

ON THE SURFACEGrizzled, white-capped, barrel-bellied, and tall,

Mountains spirits have incredible presence and an aura ofindestructibility. Even when beaten, bloody, and sprawledbeneath an enemy’s sword, a spirit of the Mountains looksready to take on any foe and win. These ethereals areimplacable, determined, and endlessly strong.

Favored travel forms include bears, whales, tanks, and(in the modern day) mecha – but any massive form will do.A few, despite the incongruity, adopt the shape of house-sized mountains and glide along the Marches’ surfaceunder their own power. Mountains-strand spirits fightwith cunning and ferocity, their pride as well as their sur-vival riding on their ability to defeat any lesser foe. Manyhave no home, feeling that what they cannot carry withthem is not worth keeping. Those who live in Domainstend to accept whatever house is offered them, making nomodifications.

PERSONALITYA Mountains spirit’s mass is its power. Heavy, powerful

forms and vessels “connect” it to the vast extent of realmountains. A mountain’s immutability depends on thatscope, on that physical greatness. In like manner, themass of a Mountains spirit’s form increases its will toendure. These spirits also value raw might, whether itrests in their fists, their minds, or their reputation.Wherever it lies, they use it bluntly and without remorse.These spirits tend to develop their abilities unevenly,focusing on areas of strength rather than striving to over-come their weaknesses.

Mountains spirits have a bit of the climber in them,too. Faced with the kind of unopposable might they seekto develop in themselves, their natural instinct is to con-quer it – to find some way to overcome that power andwind up at the top of the world. They are, at the sametime, Edmund Hillary and Mt. Everest.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYThe Mountains element transcends humanity. It has

existed since the earliest animal dreams. Humans do notimpress Mountains spirits. In turn, most humans do notlike Mountains spirits – humans prefer to be respected,after all. Common Roles for Mountains spirits allowthem to spend time bonding with real peaks: forestrangers in mountainous areas, hermits, mountaineers,and miscellaneous residents of the great mountainranges.

THE OTHERSThe characteristics of a given terrain type, and of the

humans who love it, manifest in the personality andappearance of the Terrain elements. Spirits of otherforms of terrain value the qualities in themselves thathelp that terrain endure. Thus, a Sea strand inclines aspirit to be as cruel, passionate, and mysterious as the Seaitself. It inspires in its heart the adventurousness of theboldest sailors. The Sea is strong because it covers somuch of the world. A Sea strand therefore encouragesthe spirit to ensure that there is no place in the world thatit cannot reach. Naturally, a given Sea spirit need notmanifest all of these traits. Likewise, Desert is arid, stark,and stoic; Woods are mysterious and cool; and Islandstend to be remote and either forbidding or alluring.

SUGGESTED DREADSDefeat. Defeat at the hands of a human or animal.

Adopting a shape that does not evoke the power of therelevant terrain. Spending six hours indoors. Lacking akey trait the player associates with the terrain type –“honesty” could fit the open and unconcealing plains.Putting customs or manners ahead of its immediateneeds. Shrinking from a challenge. Shrinking from anappropriate challenge – many Sea spirits love explo-ration, as does the romantic image of a sailor. Failing towork against an ecological disaster it could prevent.Failing to prevent such a disaster. Showing remorse.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources from any

Terrain strand:✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Geology, Area Knowledge:

some wild area, Area Knowledge: the Marches);✠ Survival and Tracking;✠ The Songs of Form (Corporeal, Celestial), Motion

(Ethereal, Celestial), Projection (Corporeal, Ethereal),Shields, and Thunder; 41


✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Direction(Ethereal, Celestial), Location (Ethereal), Might(Corporeal, Ethereal), and Sight (Ethereal).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Drowning [For watery elements], Filth

[Landfill], Minerals [For earthy elements], Plants[Forest/Grasslands], Terrain

PERSPECTIVESAngels: If they had hammered out the moun-

tains, I would see the dust of mountains on theirbrow. If they had poured out the sea, I wouldsmell the salt on their skin. They claim arrogant-ly to have shaped the world, but their claim doesnot withstand the testing.

Demons: The Archangel of Light stood beforehis host, and said, “I loathe God for his lies, andhis uncaring heart, and his destructive ways, andhis cruelty; for his temptations to vice, the cor-ruption in his soul, and the way he uses us for hispleasure.” So moving was his speech that all hisarmies became those things he hated most. Thuswere the demons born.

Wealth: JewelSWho cares about the world, baby? You have me.

Common elements of Wealth include Gold, Silver,Jewels, and Money. A single piece of gold contains theessence of everything it can buy. More than that, it rep-resents everything that can be bought: Possessions. Labor.Virtue and vice. A coin of gold, in the right hands, canbuy almost anything of worth. Most Wealth spirits arevenal and shallow, but they can be admirable souls.Everything high and noble lies within Wealth’s purview,if someone cares for it and money can buy it – joy, thetruth, dedication, and labor directed toward a goodcause.

Of course, wealth also buys poison, treachery, and dag-gers in the night.

Spirits of Jewels extend the general concept of Wealthwith echoes of the tangible form of gems and jewelry.They have sparkling, resplendent personalities. They canbear up against the greatest steady stresses, but a sharpshock shatters their composure. They catch everyone’sattention while in the room, but they think small. Theyrarely build nets of influence spreading across theMarches.

ON THE SURFACEJewels spirits are usually diminutive and vibrantly col-

orful. In humanoid shapes and vessels, they wear colorslike canary, crimson, aquamarine, emerald, royal blue,and silver. Most stand under five feet tall. They have per-fect teeth, hair, and skin. Some common less-humanshapes include ambulatory golems “powered” by glow-ing gemstones; crystal statues drawn from place to placeby translucent tentacles; and spinning sapphires that flyunder their own power.

Their favored travel shape is doubtlessly the humanmerchant, a peddler of rarities and eccentricities. A fig-ment-drawn cart loaded with small miracles makes goodtime and turns the spirit into a center for mercantileactivity and avarice. Jewels spirits avoid battle, having noparticular competence with it. They design their homesto best display their possessions, including the most valu-able possession of all: themselves.

PERSONALITYIn their natural state, most Jewels spirits have no

morals. The knowledge of their own preciousness cor-rupts their judgment. On Earth, they slip into superficialand dissipated lifestyles. In the Marches, they wind up inearly graves. Fortunately, few Jewels spirits remain intheir natural state. As creatures of Wealth, they tend to42


STRAIGHT ROADSOnly a few roads run through the Marches. Finding

them is difficult. One must know what to look for. Thesigns of a nearby road are subtle. An electric feeling hov-ers in the air. Dreamscapes move away from the road asif blown by a wind. The mists change color, ever soslightly, as one draws close. The road itself is nothingmore than a faintly glowing line, straight as a ruler’sedge. Spirits on a straight road move as far in a minuteas they could otherwise move in an hour.

Straight roads run only between major landmarks ofthe Marches – the great mountains, rivers, and foreststhat hide in the mist. They connect places of deadliestnightmare to places of beauteous glory, created by thespiritual differential between them. Straight roads aredangerous: nothing about the road makes it obviouswhether one is heading toward nightmare or glory. Nordo they indicate how close to the destination one may be.All a spirit knows for sure, walking a straight road, is thatit is going someplace.

reflect the things that those around them value. If theyspend a long time attending to a dark overlord, theybecome loyal and competent lieutenants. If for some rea-son a Jewels spirit spent a year with a group of angels, itmight even become virtuous!

Some Jewels spirits are natural exceptions to this pat-tern. They seek from the beginning to justify their nat-ural appeal rather than reveling in it. Others, drawing onthe lore of gems hidden in the Earth, conceal their trueworth behind a facade of lazy good-for-nothingness.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYJewels spirits have a keen sense for bargains and a

good head for finance. In the human world, theyappraise property; trade and speculate in the market;manage accounts; and sometimes work in fields like artrestoration and diamond cutting. Such careers addvalue to merchandise.

THE OTHERSGold-strand spirits – glowing, effulgent, and quietly

glorious – seek to add value to everything they touch.They feel a deep bond with the golden Sun, and many of

their traits mirror his. Silver-strand spirits, pale and lam-bent, feel a closer tie to the Moon and the Stars. (Fordescriptions of the Sun, Moon, and Stars elements, seepp. 24-25.) The other Wealth spirits consider etherealsof Money classless and vulgar. Money-strand spirits dis-agree. Though they lack the beauty and grace associatedwith most Wealth, they consider themselves a superiorbreed – intimately, precisely acquainted with the notionof value that underlies Wealth’s power. Other strands ofWealth play prominent roles in Marches affairs,although none so great as Gold, Silver, Money, andJewels. Food is wealth in some parts of the world, Toysare the kings of a child’s heart, and so forth.

SUGGESTED DREADSBecoming less valuable. Losing a significant portion of

its net worth. Losing any portion of its net worth.Discovering that something is definitely not for sale.Failing to elicit desire or avarice. Failing to convincesomeone to value what it values. Making a financial error.Undignified situations. Appearing in public “not at itsbest.” Spending long periods of time with someone with-out expressing the traits that person values. Havingsomeone outshine it. Admitting its own value. Not admit-

ting to its own value. (Obviously, the same spiritshould not have both of these last two Dreads.)


any Wealth strand:✠ Fitting Knowledges (e.g., Finance, Valuable

Items);✠ Emote, Savoir-Faire, or Seduction;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Ethereal, Celestial),

Charm, Light (Corporeal, Ethereal), Possession,and Tongues (Corporeal, Ethereal);

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Empathy(Ethereal, Celestial), Opening (Ethereal,Celestial), and Solace (Ethereal).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Entrancement, Filth [for devaluing others],

Glamour, Minerals, Wealth.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Rumor has it that certain powerful

spirits survived the Purity Crusade by payingangels for “protection.” How comforting, if true!

Demons: Every demon has a price. This makesdemons our slaves, though they know it not. 43


THE WEALTHOF STAMATIS STAVROS

Stamatis Stavros rules a small Far Marches Domainknown for two things: its wine, pressed from the heartsof slithering beasts, and its slaves. When Stavros’ armytakes captives, as the object of a mission or the spoils ofwar, it hauls them before him in chains. The King takesthe captives down below his palace, descending half amile of stairs, and shows them a Face that hangs on hisbasement wall. The name of that Face, and its prove-nance, are not spoken of. From the moment they settheir eyes upon it, however, the captives are StamatisStavros’ slaves and serve him with all their mind andheart. It is said by some that the power of the Face is fad-ing, and that several of the more recent captives havebroken free. Others dismiss such rumors; StamatisStavros is an institution and a legend, and his power willsurely endure forever. In any case, Stamatis commandssome of the greatest wealth – measured in geniuses andartists, warriors and seers, “human resources” of thehighest order – in all the Marches.

Weather: SnowMake the world tremble with your footsteps. Break it

with your rage.

Every form of weather – from Rain to Snow,Storms to Clear Skies – has a noteworthy presencein the Marches. These elements express the moodsof the sky. They pour forth emotion in the form ofhealing sunshine, ominous darkness, gentle or pelt-ing rain, cool clean snow, fierce lightning, and hur-ricane rage.

Snow represents dispassion and purity of intent.Sheltered from the world by inner quiet and afrozen heart, ethereals of Snow move through lifewith near-Elohite calm. Pain does not reach them.Anger does not disturb them. Legends say that if aSnow spirit gives its heart in love, it dies – meltingaway in the fires of that emotion, like a snowman ina summer’s thaw.

ON THE SURFACESnow spirits tend to be pale, diffuse, and light. (Gray

and piebald color schemes they leave to the less commonSlush spirits.) Their reach is long, even given their often-magnificent height. Some adopt transparent forms, withsnow endlessly falling beneath their empty skin.

Their most common travel forms include arctic ani-mals, puffs of snow hurled across the Marches by anonexistent wind, and monsters made of ice. In battleand stressful situations, these spirits keep a cool head,working the situation to their own best advantage. LikeWater spirits, many live in mobile clouds fashioned bydream-smiths. A few build ice palaces. Others live inordinary Earth-like settings, distinguished only by thesnow that never ceases falling.

PERSONALITYSpirits of Weather have an instinct for chaos. They

enjoy travel, sowing the seeds of change and disorder,and forcing their will onto the world. They actively dis-like stability and order. A spirit of Weather can throw acurve ball into the best-planned efforts. Even Snow spir-its, distant by nature, feel an echo of these drives.

Weather spirits resemble Emotion-strand ethereals inthe scope of their passions. Snow spirits are no exception.The cold in their hearts is not the absence of emotion buta passion of its own – a chill depression, a bleak refusal tocare, that radiates as powerfully as any salamander’sflame. A wall of ice separates them from the world and

brings them peace. Just as an angry man is driven toincite a mob, and a compassionate man exhorts others tocare, Snow spirits seek to snuff out others’ cares with thesheer weight of their own callous nature.

IN HUMAN SOCIETYSnow-strand ethereals often take employment as mer-

cenaries, carrying out other spirits’ goals in the mortalworld. Indifferent to both compassion and cruelty, theyserve “good” and “evil” gods with equal efficiency. Whenpursuing their element’s goal – snuffing out passion – theytake any Role that seems handy. They do not care abouttheir effectiveness in the Role itself – inspiring their co-workers with great deeds rarely serves their purpose.

THE OTHERSThe drives that power the other Weather spirits are as

strong as a Snow spirit’s reserve and generally far moreblatant. In the full heat of emotion, a Weather etherealcan withstand the harshest adversity, make any sacrifice,and commit stunning atrocities and acts of compassion.A spirit of Storms, driven by anger, will cross the wildestMarches to enact its vengeance. An ethereal of SunnyDays can endure the most terrible tortures to prove toitself that there is still hope in the world.

SUGGESTED DREADSLosing its freedom. Failure to undermine

order. Falling into a routine. Showing too much respectfor tradition. Permitting circumstances to keep it from44


STRANGE RAINSThe characters and places of fiction and story come to

life in the Marches. In just the same way, the conventions offiction sometimes take on their own life – in the form ofstrange rains. These pour down from the Marches sky onrare occasions, a glimmering rain of adhesive dust. Spiritsdoused by a passing storm become natural attractors forthe creatures and situations of a certain style of story, untiltime and labor cleanse the last sparkles from them.

Strange rains can provide a serious game with a terrify-ing interlude in the horror genre. An already mythic gamecan twist temporarily into the stuff of Greek or Arabianstory. A light and humorous game can turn into a daytimesoap.

following the dictates of its heart. Failing to impose itsemotional perspective, when so attempting. Failing toimpose its emotional perspective on others regularly.Hiding its passion (or showing passion, for a Snow spir-it). Spending an hour outside on Earth in the wrong kindof weather. Staying in one area for too long (e.g., a day,three days, or a week). Frustration. Having someone suc-cessfully predict its actions.

ASSOCIATED ABILITIESSpirits can learn the following Resources from any

Weather strand:✠ Fitting Knowledges (Meteorology, Area Knowledge:

a major tourist spot);✠ Artistry, Emote, and Fast-Talk;✠ The Songs of Attraction (Ethereal), Entropy

(Ethereal, Celestial), Form (Celestial), Motion, Shields(Corporeal, Celestial), and Thunder;

✠ The Liber Canticorum Songs of Empathy(Corporeal, Ethereal), and Ice (Celestial).

Suggested Affinities include:✠ Air, Cold [Snow/Hail], Destruction, Emotions [the

appropriate emotion only], Fertility, Lightning[Storms/Lightning], Weather.

PERSPECTIVESAngels: Are they not like us? Making, breaking, going

where they will – they do not acknowledge the kinshipbetween us, but we, ah, we cannot do otherwise. Fiercelydevoted to their God, insistent that others share theirruling passion, children of the sky, sowers of chaos in ourland . . . Are they not like us?

Demons: In my own person, I am no greater than ademon, and less than some. Yet I am more than my ownperson. The strands of my being spread throughout theMarches. I am not merely a spirit. I am Weather. In thislight, demons are petty tyrants, strutting fiercely but ulti-mately irrelevant.

How To USe theElement GroupS

Element Key TraitsAstronomical Concepts Unworldly, aristocratic,

larger-than-life.Classical Elements Active, forceful, ruthless.

Emotions Passionate, ferocious, full of life.Information Scholarly, egotistical, mystical.

Life Uncivilized, survival-oriented, wild.

Senses Superficial, image-conscious, artistic.

Society Charismatic, social, group-oriented.

Structures Orderly, controlling, stubborn.Struggle Raw, warlike, rugged.

Tech Up to date, self-empowering, other-empowering.

Terrain Proud, earthy, primal.Wealth Materialistic, worldly,

whatever traits its friends value.

Weather Ardent, driven, lovers of chaos.

A character with one or two appropriate traits is a log-ical fit for the appropriate element group(s). The charac-ter need not have all the key traits for the group. A play-er can build a solid interpretation of an element groupwith just one of the key traits – or none at all, if some-thing else about the element appeals to him! An artisticcharacter can have a Senses element without superficial-ity. A scholar can have an Information element withoutarrogance. Also, each different element in a group has itsown “twist” on the same general ideas.

A character’s primary element, especially after initia-tion (p. 46), should capture the core of his character con-ception. If that means inventing a new element in agroup, or a new element group, so be it! (See p. 46.) Thesecondary element provides a strong influence on thecharacter. It can be central to the spirit’s conception or abarely perceptible influence. With an uninitiated charac-ter, feel free to write down several elements and choosethe primary and secondary one after some play. 45


Creating Your OwnDo not hesitate to invent new elements, in or out of

the groups listed above. The Marches contain endlessvariety.

Players should follow the steps below when creating anelement group. First, they should talk to the GM aboutthe Songs and skills that seem to belong in that group.Ultimately, the decision is in the GM’s hands. Second, incharacter generation, they should spend their initiationand Dread points on non-controversial Resources. Evenwith the element of Questions, starting play with theSong of Symphony (Liber Canticorum, p. 57) is notappropriate! The GM needs time to decide whether toput that Song into a PC’s hands before deciding whetherit fits the element. More appropriate Resources includeDetect Lies, Knowledge: Philosophy, Knowledge:Riddles, and the Song of Tongues.

Creating a new element in an established group is sim-pler. Players can just think about what the element means

and then write it on their character sheet. If the elementshould be relatively common, they can talk to their GMabout it. There’s no mechanical benefit, so it should notcause a problem.

EXAMPLESA player can choose Music as one of his character’s ele-

ments, creating the “Music” element in the Sensesgroup. If it is the character’s primary or secondary ele-ment, the character can learn the standard SensesResources from that element.

A player can create the Ghosts element in the unwrit-ten Death group. First, he runs the idea past the GM,suggesting that the concept of the separation betweenthe living and the dead forms the basis for this group. Ifthe GM suggests some appropriate Resources, the play-er spends the Dread and initiation points there. If theGM okays the idea without discussion, the player figuresout non-abusive Resources to spend the points on. TheSongs of Ethereal Form, Projection, and Possession areobvious choices. So are Move Silently and Knowledge:Forensic Medicine.

Buying Lockpicking for the Ghosts element is inap-propriate. It has very little to do with Ghosts or Death.Similarly, the Song of Oblivion (Liber Canticorum, p.73) is not available through this element. It fits, but theSong is a secret. Spirits of the element never had a chanceto learn the Song, and so the element itself never“learned” it. Finally, the player should make sure that theGM uses the Liber Canticorum Songs before putting aSong like Ethereal Ice in the group.

Initiation: Awakeningthe ElementS

Some ethereals have a sense of “connection” with themost important elements of their spirit. Such a spiritwould care a great deal that a dreamer built its soul from(for example) “the Rain.” It has a heavy influence on itsbehavior. Other ethereals could not care less what primalimages lurk within their spirits. Some have so many dif-ferent images inside them that nothing stands out. A fewdo not even know what elements they come from –instinct tells them nothing.

Ethereals of every type who want a stronger connec-tion to their elemental selves eventually undergo a “riteof initiation.” This rite awakens and strengthens severalof the elements within them.46


A WORKED EXAMPLESuppose the spirits are right: God was an ethereal, and

the celestials are still basically ethereal. Here’s how a GMmight choose elements for Dominic, Archangel ofJudgment. (Note that ethereal scholars often engage injust this sort of Superior-dissection, as “proof” that celes-tials are a kind of ethereal.)

Dominic, more than most Archangels, places the pub-lic good of Heaven above the good of the individual. Heprotects Heaven against the cancer of heresy, even whenit means punishing those in no immediate danger ofFalling. He orders his servants into hierarchies. In gen-eral, he thinks in social terms. His primary elementshould be in the Society group. Specifically (see p. 35),the “Nations” element fits him well, with Heaven as thenation he invests his effort in.

Dominic, as a Seraph and Archangel, possesses all thecommon qualities of the Astronomical Concepts group.He is unworldly, aristocratic, and larger than life. Thismakes his secondary element an Astronomical element.With the Moon (see p. 25) as his secondary element, hewould focus on unearthing others’ dark secrets in God’sname, while of course protecting his own. With the Stars(see p. 25) as his secondary element, he would requireangels to prove themselves to him, but would go to greatlengths for those demonstrated worthy.

Rites of initiation involve a journey of self-discoverythat ignites the spirit’s elemental nature with the spark ofthe spirit’s consciousness. Suddenly, it is more than “themanticore of Sunsbridge;” it is Mountains and it is theHunt. No longer a substrate of its existence, these ele-ments are alive – an active part of its identity. The imageof Mountains woven into its spirit awakens. The spiritthinks as much with the Mountains’ majesty as with amanticore’s hunger.

A willing spirit sometimes initiates spontaneously inextremely dramatic situations – when facing dire threatsto its life, for example, or on learning some hidden truthabout the Marches’ nature. Usually, though, a spirit mustundertake something akin to a vision quest. Using ethe-real poisons or great meditative skill, it invites a halluci-natory state and travels its inner landscape to find thetruth of its being. Alternately, an instinct-guided journeyto the distant reaches of the Far Marches has similareffects.

GMs should populate these vision quests with symbolsand portents – talking figments who represent the spirit’sweaknesses, rivers of swords that scythe away its illusionsabout itself, and brilliant dawns illuminating the finaltruth. Some Domain rulers can help an ethereal into thestate of mind necessary to undertake this journey. Such agreat favor demands an equal favor in return.

Spirits discussing initiation with mortals most oftenliken it to a shamanic initiation or rite of passage; celes-tials tend to think of it as “fledging,” and liken it to the

moment when a demonling or reliever becomes a fulldemon or angel. Other common analogies include“becoming an adult,” “understanding yourself for thefirst time,” and “crawling out of a small dark place andseeing the dawn.” Spirits who deliberately choose not toinitiate have different analogies to offer: “mass insanity”and “crippling the psyche with atavistic mumbo-jumbo,”for instance.

INITIATION EFFECTSInitiation has both concrete and subjective effects. The

player of an initiating PC chooses a primary element anda secondary element to awaken. (The character has no sayin this choice.) Normally, these elements represent themost important building blocks of the PC’s Image andpsyche. Certain “primal spirits” have only one element toawaken, and therefore cannot choose a secondary ele-ment. Rare initiates awaken more than two elements, butonly the first two offer mechanical benefits.

Just as the same Symphonic Word of Eagles is manifestin every eagle, all the spirits of a given element share thatelement. There are not “chunks” of that element in var-ious spirits and dreamscapes. Rather, each element isunique – a single strand of the Hunt weaves through theentire ethereal realm. As spirits of a given element learnskills and Songs, they imprint the tiniest echo of theirknowledge on the element.


Initiates have an easier time learning the skillsand Songs that many spirits of their element havestudied before. Meditating and reflecting on thestrands of its being, an initiate can acquire certainSongs without teachers and certain skills withoutpractice – though it must still spend the necessarycharacter points! It is not so much learning thesethings as digging out knowledge that part of its soulalready possesses.

Each element described above has a list of Songsand skills associated with it. Many of the spirits ofthe element learned these Songs or skills the hardway, recently or long ago. With work, initiates can“remember” the Songs and skills associated withtheir primary and secondary element, spending upto one character point per week on them withoutan instructor. In that week, they must be able todevote several hours a day to meditation. Heavilyphysical skills require some amount of practice.The GM can rule that an obscure skill or powerfulSong requires more time, on the premise that fewerspirits of the PC’s element learned it the hard way– or forbid the acquisition entirely if it would beunbalancing! All elements have access to the Songsof Dreams and variant Celestial Draining (see p.66). These are ubiquitous in the Marches.

Initiates receive a special weakness – a “Dread” –from their primary element. For example, a prima-ry Fire element often creates a Dread of water orimmersion. (See Dreads box.) The character pointsreceived for this Dread should be spent over timeon Resources tied to the primary and secondaryelements. Specifically, this includes both the skillsand Songs one can learn from these elements andrelevant affinities. Unlike skills and Songs, the listof relevant affinities is not fixed. Use the common sensetest when considering an affinity not listed for a group.

As the last mechanical effect, initiates receive a bonus offive Resource points. Spend these points, like the Dreadpoints, on Resources connected to the primary and sec-ondary elements.

All awakened elements play an active if unquantifiedrole in a character’s personality. Awakening primary andsecondary elements of Battle and Darkness biases a spirittoward pugnacious and shady behavior!

INITIATING BEFORE ANDDURING PLAY

An ethereal PC can initiate before play begins. Incharacter creation, the player selects a Dread and dividesthe Dread points and five extra points among element-

related Resources. (The Dread’s level is, again, equal toEthereal Forces, though the GM may agree that thecharacter either gained or lost Forces subsequent to initi-ation.) This is considered standard in an ethereals game.A GM should let the players know if he wants uninitiat-ed PCs.

If the GM wants most PCs to start uninitiated, but isokay with one or two initiates, he can cancel the five-point bonus for initiating before play. Those charactersreceive only the Dread and the points for their Dread.

Spirits can have strong elemental influences beforetheir initiation. The player of an uninitiated PC canchoose tentative primary and secondary elements to helpshape his character conception. Once the game begins,the PC can attempt to initiate at any time, although onlythe GM decides when the PC succeeds and receives thebenefits.48


DREADSEthereals with a primary Love element dread and fear

things like “losing a loved one” and “rejection by apotential paramour.” This fear represents somethingevery bit as strong, irrational, and soul-twisting as a FearDiscord. The main difference is that they don’t run awaywhen facing the things they fear. Instead, the disastersthey Dread cost them Essence. Their fear, realized, cutsaway at their will to exist.

A Dread functions like an Ethereal Discord, similar toFear. The cost per level depends on what the etherealdreads. Something easy to avoid like “showing anger,” orsomething that comes up rarely, like “immersion or suf-focation,” is worth 1 point per level. Something commonand hard to avoid, such as “appearing in public poorlygroomed,” is worth 2-3 points per level. It’s hard to getthrough a battle and stay clean! When facing the realiza-tion of its Dread, an ethereal must make a Will roll at apenalty equal to the level of its Dread. If it fails, it loses 1Essence. If it Dreads a situation rather than an event, itmust keep making rolls (usually, one per hour or so) untilit escapes the situation or runs out of Essence. If theethereal does not have the necessary Essence to lose, itloses Mind hits equal to its Intelligence instead.

An ethereal who initiates during play must accept anappropriate Dread at a level equal to its Ethereal Forces,and does receive points for it! If the player desires morepoints, or the character concept fits, it can increase thelevel of its Dread, or take an additional Dread corre-sponding to its secondary element, if it so chooses.

49R E S O U R C E S

RESourceS

For more years than anyone can count, the Basalt Seal hasremained unbroken. I do not know what it holds back. Someterror, I think, from the primeval days. Or a cataclysm to burythis realm. Or perhaps God has set it upon us, to seal awayapotheosis. I would like to know, but there is no one I could ask.

These are the words on the Basalt Seal: “This darkness lastsuntil the sun.”

Though I live in its Domain, I did notfear the Seal. There is no sunlight in thisrealm. Clouds cover the sky, sooty in colorand mournful in demeanor. Twice in mylifetime, they have let a spark of sunlightthrough, to spit and crackle upon the sur-face of the land. That light makes theforgetful black trees stir with ancientmemory. It makes the spirits of this placelook up with wonder. But it has nevertouched the Forbidden Hills, or comenear the Basalt Seal that rests uponthem.

I lay with my lover on sheets thatclung to us like hands, tangled in theknots and catches that love makes; and Isaw the clouds open. A ray of light sweptdown to spear a tradesman. His face con-torted with startlement and joy.

Then, as relentless as the wind thatdrove it, the light swept toward the Hills.

By the time I had disentangled myself,I knew the clouds had shifted far enough;the sunlight had begun to fall throughthem, at velocities immeasurable, towardthe Basalt Seal.

My body was large enough to cover theSeal. And I am the element of Speed.

I began to run.

The Resources in this chapter per-tain specifically to ethereal cam-paigns. Most are available to etherealspirits, but some are more appropri-ate for Dream Soldiers, or otherhumans with dealings in theMarches.

AfFinitieSAffinities are purchased at charac-

ter creation, though with the GM’spermission they can be modified

later (see box, p. 51). They function somewhat likeattunements, but are both more flexible and less power-ful. Affinities are usually related to the character’s ele-mental strands, its Image, the event that granted it self-awareness (or at least freedom from a dreamscape), or allof the above. Ethereals do not have to be initiated to pos-sess affinities!50

R E S O U R C E S

AFFINITY LEVELSAffinities come in four levels. Slight affinities cost 2 points each, Moderate

affinities cost 5 points each, and Strong and Primal affinities cost 10 pointseach.

The total number of a spirit’s Affinities may not exceed the number of itsForces.

Slight AffinityA slight affinity is barely noticeable in most situations, even in the Marches.

The spirit feels attracted to its affinity and may learn Songs and skills reflect-ing it, but the only inherent power such a minor affinity grants is a +1 onDream-Shaping rolls when the subject of the affinity is present (see p. 93). Aslight affinity is not strong enough to grant access to the powers listed for thataffinity type.

Moderate AffinityModerate affinities affect a spirit in many significant ways. They allow access

to the Rites and powers that come with the affinity (see individual affinitydescriptions), and give the spirit a +2 to affinity and relevant Dream-Shapingrolls. A spirit must have at least 3 Forces per moderate affinity, and an appro-priate elemental strand (see p. 22).

Strong AffinityA strong affinity is a dominant theme in an ethereal’s consciousness, and it

grants the spirit significant power. The spirit gets a bonus of +4 to affinity rolls(see p. 51) and to relevant Dream-Shaping rolls. A spirit must have at least 6Forces per strong affinity, and an appropriate elemental strand.

Primal AffinityOnly primal spirits (p. 73) can have a primal affinity, and no spirit can have

more than one. (At least, not without being a god; see p. 81.) The spirit mayadd its Ethereal Forces to appropriate Dream-Shaping rolls and twice that toaffinity rolls – and it always has a minimum target number of 10 in either case.Some primal affinities give additional powers. The cost and requirements arethe same as strong affinities (above). Thus, a primal spirit with at least 6 Forcescan define its strong affinity as primal; it would need at least 12 Forces to adda second strong affinity, but only one of them could be primal.

Every affinity comes with a Rite; any spirit with atleast a moderate affinity has access to it. (Remember thatlike other Rites, each one can only be used once per day.)Additionally, each affinity lists a set of suggested powers;any spirit with a moderate affinity or greater may attemptto use any power on the list by making an affinity roll(below), and spending any required Essence. Unless oth-erwise stated, this takes no concentration or time.

These powers are not necessarily all-inclusive; the GMmay think of additional abilities that an affinity mightgrant, and players should also be encouraged to think ofcreative uses. As a general rule, the more potent theeffect, the greater the Essence expenditure necessary, andrarely will an affinity be able to trump a Song or anattunement. Spirits with the proper ethereal strands mayhave more discrete “powers” than any ordinary celestialcan command, but no one of them has the potency of adirect attunement to or a Song played directly uponsome aspect of the Symphony.

AFFINITY ROLLSTo use a power associated with a moderate (or higher)

affinity, the spirit must make a d666 roll with a targetnumber equal to his Intelligence (with modifiers; seebelow), and spend any necessary Essence. (AdditionalEssence may be spent to increase the chances, as usual.)

A moderate affinity gives a +2 to the roll. A strong affin-ity grants a bonus of +4. A primal affinity allows the spir-it to add twice its Ethereal Forces to the roll, and raise itstarget number to 10 if the result is less than that.

On a successful roll, the affinity will take effect asdescribed. On an unsuccessful roll, there is no resultother than the waste of Essence.

Some powers require no roll to activate (though theymay still require Essence). These are marked “No roll”.Certain affinities also have special powers that are onlyavailable to primal spirits (p. 73); a primal affinity is nec-essary to use them.

SONG AFFILIATIONSAffinities can synchronize with certain Songs, just as

celestial resonances do (see the Liber Canticorum, p. 16).Some affinities have “Affiliated Songs” listed underthem. Spirits who possess a Strong or Primal affinity willreceive a bonus of +1 to the check digit of any affiliatedSongs. Affiliation bonuses are not cumulative; even if aspirit has multiple affinities affiliated with the same Song,the maximum bonus is +1.

(Do note that the GM must still approve access to anySecret or Lost Songs, whether or not a strand or affinitymight otherwise permit them!)

51R E S O U R C E S

COMBINING AFFINITIESForces are not “spent” on affinities; the

restrictions above are simply minimumrequirements. An ethereal with 6 Forces canhave a Strong affinity and up to two Moderateaffinities, since it meets the Forces require-ments for both. Remember only that a spiritcannot have more total affinities than it hasForces.

Example: A 3-Force ethereal could have up tothree slight affinities, or one moderate affinity andtwo slight affinities.

Example 2: A 7-Force ethereal could have onestrong affinity, two moderate affinities, and up tofour slight affinities, or two moderate affinitiesand five slight affinities, or seven slight affinities,or any other combination adding up to sevenaffinities or less.

NEW AND IMPROVEDAFFINITIES

Spirits can develop a stronger bond to theirexisting affinities, or even gain new ones.Assuming they have the Forces to accommodatesuch “upgrades” (p. 50), the GM may allowethereal characters to spend experience pointson increasing an affinity’s level, or buying a newone. However, affinities are not like skills onecan simply acquire with practice; any change ina spirit’s affinities represents a significant changein its very nature. Thus, the GM may requirethat any such “improvement” be preceded byroleplaying that supports such a change in thecharacter. It is also recommended that newaffinities start at Slight and require further role-playing to strengthen, unless unusual circum-stances support a spirit’s spontaneous develop-ment of a stronger affinity.

AFFINITIES LIST

AirSometimes called a Wind affinity. The spirit gets a

bonus to create wind or aerial imagery.Rite: Spend an entire night exposed to the open air.Powers:✠ Create light breezes. These are not strong enough to

push heavy objects, but can blow papers or dust around,and put out candle flames. (Make a Precision roll to pusha light object in the direction the spirit wants) (1 Essence)

✠ Create enough air for one person to breathe for anhour. (1 Essence)

✠ Create stronger puffs of wind, with an effectiveStrength equal to the check digit. Roll a Contest ofStrength to knock someone over or tear something fromsomeone’s hand. A Precision roll is necessary to direct thewind with any finesse. (2 Essence)

✠ “Ride the wind”: go whichever direction the wind isblowing (or float gently to the ground if there is no wind)for check digit minutes. (1 Essence)

✠ Fly, at a speed in yards per round equal to the checkdigit × the amount of Essence spent. Duration is equal tothe spirit’s Ethereal Forces in minutes. (3 Essence, +3 tocarry another person)

Primal: The spirit can create gaseous vessels. For pur-poses of pushing things around, the vessel has a Strengthequal to its Forces in “size” (p. 68); i.e., a 6-Force gaseousvessel could try to push someone over with a Strength of6. Any kind of fine manipulation will require a Precisionroll. Gaseous vessels may ride the wind as described abovefor free (but generating a wind to direct oneself has thenormal cost), or drift through the air in any direction athalf the spirit’s normal running speed. These vessels areimmune to most physical attacks, but ethereal and celes-tial powers will do normal damage. (No roll)

AnimalsAffiliated Songs: Beasts, Healing (only when used on ani-

mals)The spirit gets a bonus to bring animals into a dream,

and to control their behavior.Rite: Spend all night in animal form (either in a dream,

or in a corporeal vessel).Powers:✠ If the spirit has an animal Image (p. 125), it may form

animal vessels of the appropriate type larger than itsForces would normally allow (see p. 68). Spirits withinsect Images may form insect vessels. Insect spirits with aprimal affinity may form vessels consisting of swarms ofinsects; see In Nomine, p. 191. (No roll)52

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CREATING YOUR OWNAFFINITIES

Ethereal affinities aren’t as varied as celes-tial Words, but anything that can be concep-tualized is represented somehow in the ethe-real realm. This chapter describes only themost common affinities; GMs and players areencouraged to create their own. However,before writing up a new one, consider thatconceptually similar affinities tend to func-tion similarly. Some affinities, such asEmotion and Terrain, are really categories ofaffinities. If the affinity you want is not listedhere, see if there is one based on a similarconcept which can be modified. Rememberthat as a general rule, affinities have a broadscope – individual spirits may “specialize” inparticular uses of an affinity, but affinities arenot as narrow as some highly-focused Wordscan become. For example, Manny (p. 76)doesn’t have an affinity for Mexican Food orTacos. He has an affinity for Hunger; what hehungers for is tacos. The Final Exam (p. 73)has an affinity for Fear; tests are merely theinstrument with which it delivers fear. If youhave an ethereal character based on a popularscience fiction movie, and his primary talentis wielding a laser-sword, he doesn’t need anaffinity for Laser-Swords. Instead, give himPuissance, with which he can wield a laser-sword in the Marches (or on Earth, if he canfind a real one!) to deadly effect.

Remember, any new affinities must beapproved by the GM. Because of the wildlyvariable nature of ethereal spirits, new affini-ties are easier to introduce into a campaignthan new Songs or Attunements. As such,they represent an opportunity for players tocreate a plethora of new powers . . . which isnot a bad thing in itself. But be watchful forany affinity that threatens to unbalance acampaign, or which seems tailored to opti-mize the potency of a particular character. Ifthere is a broader affinity that encompassesthe concept of the new one, then it shouldprobably be a “specialization” of the broaderone, rather than a separate affinity.

✠ Add Ethereal Forces to reaction rolls from animals(including other spirits with an animal Image!). (1Essence – unless the spirit has an animal Image, in whichcase it can elicit reaction bonuses from animals of thesame type without spending Essence)

✠ Communicate with animals for check digit minutes– this does not ensure the animals will listen to the spir-it, nor does it grant them abnormal intelligence. (1Essence – with the same exception noted above)

✠ Summon (check digit) animals of a particular type(spirit’s choice). On Earth, the nearest such animals willproceed to his location by whatever normal means areavailable to them; there is no effect if none are within anhour’s travel. On the ethereal plane, the spirit actuallyconjures figments (p. 74) of 1 Ethereal Force each. Thesedream-spirits behave like any other, with Images of nor-mal animals. The animals will not automatically obeytheir summoner, and will probably disappear as soon asthey are no longer in its presence. (2 Essence – 1 for ani-mals of the spirit’s Image)

✠ Charm any animal; the creature will be obedient as ifit were a servant with a Resource level equal to the checkdigit, until it leaves the ethereal’s presence. (2 Essence –1 for an animal of the spirit’s Image)

Primal: Bless animals (not including humans) withfecundity, or curse them with barrenness. A number ofcreatures equal to the spirit’s Ethereal Forces will beunusually fertile for a number of weeks equal to thecheck digit. This won’t cause impossible conceptions, butany attempt to conceive that might be successful, will be(and the offspring will usually be particularly healthy andfecund). Conversely, a curse of low fertility will balk allattempts at conception for the same duration. (5Essence) (This is similar to the Fertility affinity – p. 56 – butonly applicable to animals.)

ArtificeAffiliated Songs: Artifacts; Machines (only for Primal

Artifice spirits, or those with an appropriate “bonuscategory”; see below)

The spirit is talented at making things, and gets abonus to manufacture items that fall within its purviewin a dream. These spirits are most often responsible forcreating artifacts.

Rite: Create or repair something.Powers:✠ Only spirits with an affinity for artifice may form

vessels of inanimate objects (see p. 68). (No roll)✠ Choose one narrow category of things (such as

Pots, Swords, Motors, Clocks, Rings, Dresses,Furniture, Ships, Paintings, etc.); the spirit receives a+1 bonus on any skill roll to create or repair appropri-ate items. (No roll)

✠ Add Ethereal Forces to any roll to create or repairany mundane item (1 Essence; No roll for the spirit’s“bonus category,” above)

✠ Add Ethereal Forces to any Enchantment roll (seethe Liber Reliquarum for complete rules on makingartifacts). (No roll, 2 Essence for talismans, 3 Essencefor celestial artifacts; subtract 1 Essence from the costif the item is in the spirit’s category, above)

Primal: Primal artifice spirits can choose a broadercategory of things (such as Weapons, Metal, Clothing,Machines, Art, etc.) with which they get a permanentbonus as described above.

BooksThe spirit gets a bonus to create (or alter) books in a

dream.Rite: Read (or write) a book.Powers:✠ Read any book, regardless of language. Lasts until

the spirit finishes the book, or puts it down. (1 Essence)✠ Alter the contents of any book. Each application

only affects 1 page, and lasts for check digit days. (1Essence)

Primal: A Primal Book spirit can pick up any book,and cause it to become any book that’s ever been writ-ten, as long as the ethereal is reading it. (The bookmust have actually been written – this affinity doesn’tgive access to all the hypothetical and dream-booksthat are in Yves’ Library or in the Marches!) The spir-it must know the title of the specific book it wants toread; it can’t simply declare “I want a guidebook toNew York City” or “a book of Kipling poems.” (2Essence) 53

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BEASTS AND STARSThe woman sat tailor-style in the starlight and

looked in the mockingbird’s eye. “Why should I helpyou?” she asked it.

The mockingbird sang.“Why,” the woman said, in mild wonder, “that

song was your own.” She held out her hand to thebird, and her black eyes sparkled like the heavensabove.

ColdAffiliated Songs: IceThe spirit gets a bonus to turn any dreamscape colder,

or introduce ice or snow.Rite: Spend all night in sub-freezing temperatures.Powers:✠ Conjure ice out of the air, shaped any way the spirit

likes; the ice can form anywhere within line of sight, andwill last for at least check digit minutes unless heat isapplied directly. It will last indefinitely in freezing tem-peratures. (1 Essence per pound of ice)

✠ Lower the temperature to freezing (or by an addi-tional 10 degrees × the check digit if it is already freez-ing) within a number of yards equal to the spirit’sEthereal Forces, lasting for 10 minutes × the check digit.(1 Essence)

✠ Gain immunity to cold for check digit hours. (1Essence, +1 to grant this ability to another)

Primal: Primal spirits of cold cannot be harmed bycold temperatures; they have the above immunity auto-matically. (They must still make an affinity roll and spend1 Essence to grant immunity to someone else.)

DeceptionAffiliated Songs: Concealment, DeceptionThe definitive quality of trickster-spirits, an affinity for

Deception gives the spirit a bonus to make things appearother than they are in a dream; this includes rolls to alterthe spirit’s own appearance (p. 92).

Rite: Fool someone, either with a trick, a simple act ofdeception, or just an ordinary lie. Pulling off a greatdeception (GM’s judgment, but it should be an impres-sive trick, or something that leaves the victim lookingreally stupid) earns the spirit 2 Essence.

Powers:✠ Penalize anyone rolling to see past one of the spirit’s

deceptions by the check digit. This includes Detect Lies

rolls and Perception rolls to spot something the spirit hashidden or camouflaged (including itself). It does notapply to deceptions so obvious as to require no roll, orthose which can be undone with simple deduction (e.g.,which a player figures out). It is also not cumulative withany other supernatural abilities, nor does it interfere withthem. For example, it does not interfere with the reso-nance of a Seraph, or with the attunement of a Cherubor Djinn or the Celestial Song of Attraction, and thespirit cannot add his Ethereal Forces to the penalty todetect it when using the Ethereal Song of Form. TheGM should use his own discretion in fuzzy situations, butthe affinity makes it more likely that the spirit can foolsomeone; it does not create illusions or magically cloakthe senses. (2 Essence)

Primal: Primal spirits of Deception can pull off seem-ingly obvious capers, leaving their victims wonderinghow they could possibly have fallen for something sofoolish. Within the restrictions cited above, the spirit canlie with almost Balseraphic skill, and even transparentdeceptions require a d666 roll (based on whatever char-acteristic or skill the GM deems appropriate) to seethrough. For example, the spirit could hold a rockwrapped in a blanket and tell its victim “This is a baby,”and the victim will be obliged to make a Detect Lies roll(at the penalty described above) to disbelieve that theoddly-shaped, strangely-silent lump is not in fact aninfant. Should the spirit hand the rock to the dupe, anIntelligence roll (at the same penalty) would allow thevictim to realize that he’s not holding a baby. If the vic-tim actually unwraps the blanket and sees the rock, how-ever, he will no longer be fooled. Likewise, the spiritcould disguise itself with nothing more than a GrouchoMarx nose-and-glasses, and anyone who sees it wouldhave to make a Perception roll to recognize it (but if theyfail, they will think it’s a stranger wearing a GrouchoMarx disguise; they won’t fail to actually see the nose andglasses). (2 Essence)54

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DestructionAffiliated Songs: EntropyThe spirit receives a bonus to destroy dream-images or

introduce scenes of destruction in a dreamscape.Rite: Destroy something (with at least 1 Force or 4

Body hits) beyond repair.Powers:✠ Inflict damage equal to the check digit on anything

within sight; in the Marches, this can be ethereal orcelestial damage. This power cannot be Dodged, butProtection reduces damage normally. (1 Essence)

✠ Weaken the structure of an inanimate object; eachsuccessful application has the effect of aging the subjectby a number of years equal to the check digit. This canaffect any single object the spirit can see, even such mas-sive objects as mountains. A mountain, of course, couldabsorb thousands of years of aging without significanteffect, but an already unstable hillside might be pushedto collapse with just a decade or two of erosion. (2Essence)

✠ Weaken a living organism. Reduce the Strength of aliving creature by the check digit, only for purposes ofresistance rolls, both against supernatural effects andmundane hazards, such as poisons, disease, or any otherhealth-related threats. The victim’s effective Strengthwill recover at a rate of 1 per hour. (2 Essence)

DivinationAffiliated Songs: SymphonyThe spirit gets a bonus to shape prophetic or clairvoy-

ant dreams. (Note that in such dreams, the dreamerbelieves he’s seeing visions of the future or remote events– such visions aren’t necessarily true!)

Limited Divination: Some spirits may only spy with onesense, related to their elements or other affinities. (Forexample, a Wind spirit might be able to hear rumors onthe wind, while a Moon spirit might see anything thattakes place under the moon, and Jewels spirits couldknow the location of any gemstones they focus upon). Ifthe spirit chooses a “limited” affinity for divination, thenit may spy on the corporeal plane even while it is in theMarches, or vice versa. (An affinity for divination willnever allow the spirit to spy on the celestial plane.)

Rite: Successfully predict a future event (earn 1Essence when it comes true)

Powers:✠ Receive a vision, a snatch of conversation, or

some other impression from an event occurring else-where that is relevant to it. The check digit determineshow relevant the divination is, and how long the vision orother sensory impression lasts. (A check digit of 1 might

merely provide something random that is interesting butnot immediately useful; on a check digit of 6, the spiritshould get exactly the information it’s hoping for, such asa minute or two of conversation between its enemies, orthe exact location of something it is searching for.) (1Essence for a single sense; 3 Essence for all senses)

✠ As above, but a vision of the past or future (+1Essence)

✠ Spy for check digit minutes on any location wherethe spirit has been before. (2 Essence for a single sense; 4Essence for all senses)

Drowning/SuffocationDreams of being unable to breathe are common and

terrifying, so this nasty affinity is common among spiritswho like to terrify mortals. The spirit gets a bonus to puta dreamer into a situation where drowning or suffocationis possible.

Rite: Drown or suffocate someone (either corporeallyor in a dream)

Powers:✠ Make someone feel like he is drowning or suffocat-

ing. The victim must make a Strength roll (or in theMarches, either an Intelligence or Dreaming roll) orbegin losing 1 point of Strength per turn (on Earth) or 1Intelligence per turn (in the Marches), until he reaches 0,whereupon he will black out or be expelled from theMarches, respectively. Upon awakening (or somehowending the attack), the victim will have suffered no realdamage. Destroying the spirit or sending it to anotherplane will terminate the effect. (2 Essence)

✠ As above, except that the drowning or suffocating isreal unless the victim resists. Follow the rules above,except once the victim’s characteristic reaches 0, onEarth he will take 1d6 Body hits per turn until he dies; inthe Marches, he will be expelled as above, but he will alsosuffer Discord as if he’d been reduced to 0 Mind hits (p. 98). (4 Essence)

Primal: If the spirit drowns or suffocates a mortal, itwill make no disturbance! (No Essence, but requires anaffinity roll)

EmotionsAffiliated Songs: Attraction (Ethereal only) – Love;

Laughter – Joy; Nightmares – Fear; Revulsion (Etherealonly) – Hatred; Sensation (Ethereal only) – all

This is actually a category of affinities; each emotion(Anger, Fear, Hatred, Love, Greed, Bravery, etc.) is aseparate affinity. Spirits with an emotional affinity getbonuses to influence the mood of a dream towards thatemotion. 55

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Rite: Cause someone to feel the appropriate emotion.Powers:✠ Detect all individuals within sight (but not through

media) who feel the specified emotion very strongly witha Perception roll. Appropriate Discords or human disad-vantages, such as Fear, Lustful, Angry, etc., add their lev-els to the roll. (No Affinity roll)

✠ Afflict someone with the emotion; treat this as aDiscord at a level equal to the check digit. (If there is noDiscord that corresponds to the emotional affinity,assume the subject feels that emotion very strongly andmust make a Will roll minus its “level” to behave other-wise.) The victim may make a Will roll to avoid beingafflicted. In a dreamscape, the spirit may reduce thedreamer’s Will roll by the check digit of a successfulDreaming roll; the effect will last until the victim wakesup, or transports himself to Blandine’s or Beleth’sMarches (depending on the emotion; Blandine’s Marcheswould erase Fear or Hatred, while Beleth’s would eraseMercy or Love). In the corporeal realm, the effect willlast for 24 hours, or until the victim sleeps and enterswhichever side of the Marches works against the emo-tion. (2 Essence)

EntrancementThese hypnotic spirits are capable of diverting atten-

tion . . . toward or away from themselves. Rite: Spend 10 minutes distracting someone from what

they were doing.Powers:✠ Create a momentary distraction that draws one per-

son’s attention in the direction of the spirit’s choice. Boththe subject and the object of the entrancement must bewithin line of sight, and the subject can avoid beingaffected with a Will roll. For a number of seconds equalto the check digit of a failed Will roll (or until somethingmore urgent calls attention to itself – such as a threaten-ing foe), the subject will stare at whatever the spiritchooses. (1 Essence)

✠ As above, but the spirit can entrance a number ofpeople equal to his Ethereal Forces. (2 Essence)

✠ Entrance a single person to such a degree that thevictim will continue staring at the object of fascinationuntil struck or forcibly drawn away from it (or the objectleaves his field of vision). Victims may make a Will roll toresist; failure means they are affected for a number ofhours equal to the check digit of the failed roll, where-upon they may roll again. Mortals can literally wasteaway in a trance if they can’t break free and aren’tsnapped out of it; immortals could theoretically remainentranced forever (though anyone with a Will of 2 orhigher will make his roll eventually . . .). (3 Essence)

FertilityAffiliated Songs: FruitionThe spirit gets a bonus to create dreams of childbirth or

growing. Because they can engage in forbidden acts ofprocreation (see below), spirits with an affinity for Fertilitygenerally hide that fact, as it’s grounds for immediate ter-mination by any angel who discovers it.

Rite: Plant something, or facilitate or participate in anact of conception.

Powers:✠ The spirit may learn any of the Songs of Fruition

(Liber Canticorum, p. 70) without a teacher (but must paycharacter points for them as usual). (No roll)

✠ Bless plant or animal life (including humans) withfecundity, or curse them with barrenness. One animal, oran area of soil with a radius in yards equal to the spirit’sCorporeal Forces, will be unusually fertile for a number ofweeks equal to the check digit. This won’t cause impossi-ble conceptions, but any attempt to conceive or plant thatmight be successful, will be (and the offspring will usuallybe particularly healthy and fecund). Conversely, a curse oflow fertility will balk all attempts at conception, or turnsoil barren, for the same duration. (5 Essence)

Primal: Primal Fertility spirits can interbreed withmortals without using the Ethereal Song of Fruition. Ifthey do know the Ethereal (or Celestial!) Songs ofFruition, they may use them on others (normally thoseSongs only allow the performer to breed with mortals). (3Essence, plus any spent on the Song)

FilthAffiliated Songs: PestilenceThese spirits are comfortable in mud, muck, sewage,

smog, and other kinds of filth, and get a bonus to polluteany dreamscape with these images.

Rite: Befoul a structure, stream, pond, glade, or similar-sized area.

Powers:✠ Filth spirits are unbothered by foul smells and tastes;

they can eat anything that’s not actually toxic, and aren’trepelled by material that would nauseate anyone else. (Noroll)

✠ Generate an unpleasant odor permeating an area witha radius equal to the spirit’s Ethereal Forces in yards. Thestench will last for check digit hours. It’s not strongenough to make someone vomit or otherwise hinder them(unless they have a weak stomach), but it is very unpleas-ant. Alternatively, permanently contaminate a number ofpounds of food or drink equal to the spirit’s EtherealForces with a foul taste. It’s not poisoned and can still beeaten . . . but no one would want to. (1 Essence)56

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✠ Coat any one object (or creature) within sight with alayer of grime, mold, and rot; maximum surface area withone application is equal to the spirit’s Ethereal Forces insquare yards. This muck isn’t immediately harmful, butit’s certainly not healthy, and it will gum up electronicsand moving parts if not cleaned away quickly. And it’svery difficult to clean away. (2 Essence)

✠ Turn an area with a radius equal to the spirit’sEthereal Forces in yards “dirty.” The effect is not as dras-tic as the conjuration of filth, above, but it will hasten thegrowth of mildew and fungus, attract dust and dirt andbacteria, and generally make the area look grimy, nomatter how many times it’s scrubbed. This effect lasts forcheck digit days. (2 Essence)

Primal: Primal filth spirits are actually immune to poi-son and disease, and can breathe pure smog, swim intoxic waste, or eat food loaded with deadly bacteria (andthe toxins they generate).

FireAffiliated Songs: Fire; Numinous Corpus: FlameSpirits with an affinity for Fire get a bonus to create

fires or warmth in a dream.Rite: Consume something valuable with fire.Powers:✠ Ignite something flammable within sight. This

can’t do damage directly; it’s the equivalent of applyinga match. Igniting someone’s clothing can cause damageif the fire isn’t extinguished quickly, though. (1Essence)

✠ Create fire that does damage (corporeal or ethere-al, depending on the plane) equal to the check digit ofthe roll, and will also ignite any flammables. (2Essence)

✠ Radiate heat extending a number of yards equal tothe spirit’s Corporeal Forces, lasting for 10 minutes ×the check digit. The heat cannot do damage, but canturn an enclosed space swelteringly hot. (1 Essence)

✠ Gain immunity to heat for check digit minutes.Fire and other direct forms of heat cannot damage it(but this does not confer immunity to electricity orlasers, or to artifacts such as Fiery Swords). (2 Essence;for an additional +2 Essence, this immunity can beconveyed to another)

Primal: Primal fire spirits increase the duration oftheir immunity to fire (above) to check digit hours.Immunity given to someone else still only lasts forcheck digit minutes.

GlamourAffiliated Songs: Nimbus (Ethereal only)The spirit is charming and has a knack for making

good impressions; it gets a bonus on any Dreamingrolls to improve its own appearance or create a favor-able reaction.

Rite: Impress someone important.Powers:✠ Get a reaction bonus equal to the check digit (1

Essence)✠ Ensure a favorable reaction; get a bonus as above, and

even a failed reaction roll is treated as having a checkdigit of 0. (2 Essence)

✠ Force a favorable reaction from someone. The targetmust make a Will roll, or be favorably disposed towardthe spirit for check digit minutes. (Treat this as havingthe same effect as the Impudite charming ability, InNomine, p. 154.) (2 Essence)

HungerAffiliated Songs: HungerThe spirit hungers for nourishment, and is drawn to

others who do as well. It gets a bonus to create dreams ofhunger, or food. (The hunger must be physical – it is notthe same as desire or greed.)

Rite: Satisfy its own hunger, or help someone else sat-isfy theirs.

Powers:✠ Recognize someone who is hungry with a Perception

roll. (No roll)✠ The spirit can “devour” people ethereally; if it suc-

cessfully reduces someone’s Mind hits to 0 in etherealcombat (see p. 98), it gets all the loser’s remainingEssence (and earns a point of Essence even if thedevoured victim had none left). (No Essence, but mustmake a normal roll) 57

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FIRE AND DARKNESSHe staggered out of the burning building to a con-

stellation of camera flashes. His clothes were intactand his hair unsinged. A look of hate and fear spreadacross his face, and he stepped forward to dash thecamera from a reporter’s hand.

“There are people dying,” he snarled, “and youtake pictures of me?”

Lenses followed him like the eyes of a crowd as hestalked away. When he stood safely in darkness, hemade a vigorous, angry gesture with one hand.Camera after camera burst into flame.

Primal: Primal Hunger spirits can swallow other enti-ties whole on the ethereal plane. This functions as a con-test of Dream-Shaping (with all appropriate bonuses; seep. 93), at a cost of 3 Essence. If the victim is unable toresist, the ethereal has effectively “devoured” its oppo-nent in ethereal combat. The victim doesn’t take anyactual ethereal damage, but is otherwise treated as if hehad been reduced to 0 Mind hits (see p. 98); humans andcelestials are expelled from the ethereal plane (withDiscord), ethereals are dissipated, and the spirit gets itsvictim’s Essence as noted above.

LightAffiliated Songs: LightThe spirit receives a bonus to illuminate a dream.Rite: Spend a full day (or an entire night in a dream-

scape) under full sunlight or the equivalent.Powers:✠ Receive a +1 to all target numbers while in bright

daylight, and a -1 in darkness. (No roll)✠ Avoid being blinded by any light (including the

Celestial Song of Light – but this does not prevent dam-age) (No Essence, but make a normal affinity roll)

✠ Glow for check digit hours. (1 Essence)✠ Generate a blinding flash of light (like the Celestial

Song of Light, but without the damage). (2 Essence)✠ Become immune to harm from light in any form for

check digit minutes. (This includes the Celestial Song ofLight, and lasers, but not fire, electricity, or other formsof heat.) (1 Essence)

✠ Shine like the sun, blinding any who look directly atthe spirit and fail a Strength roll. This extends for 10yards × the spirit’s Ethereal Forces (or can fill an entiredreamscape, with a Dream-Shaping roll). The durationis check digit rounds. (2 Essence)

LightningAffiliated Songs: LightningThe spirit gets a bonus to introduce lightning storms

or electricity into a dream.Rite: Spend the night in a thunderstorm.Powers:✠ Become luminescent and discharge sparks at will for

check digit hours. (1 Essence)✠ Generate electricity with a touch, doing damage

equal to the check digit. With a Precision roll, it can alsostart a car, or power appliances and equipment for checkdigit minutes. (1 Essence)

✠ Project miniature lightning bolts, doing damage asabove, but with a range of 10 yards × the spirit’s Ethereal

Forces (or anywhere within a dreamscape). They auto-matically hit, but can be Dodged. (2 Essence)

✠ Become immune to electrical damage for check digitminutes. (2 Essence; for an additional +2 Essence, thisimmunity can be conveyed to another)

Primal: Primal lightning spirits increase the durationof their immunity to electricity (above) to check digithours. Immunity given to someone else still only lasts forcheck digit minutes.

LuckThe spirit is lucky. It gets a bonus to arrange improb-

able “random” events in a dream in order to specificallybenefit or harm someone.

Rite: Escape a bad situation, or obtain some benefit,completely by chance.

Powers:✠ Whenever the spirit spends Essence to improve a

d666 roll, it gets an extra +1 bonus. (No roll)✠ Cause good or bad luck for itself or anyone it sees.

The exact result is up to the GM’s imagination, and it canoccur immediately, or any time within the next 24 hours.The check digit indicates how immediate, relevant,and/or beneficial or harmful the fortunate event is; a 1might mean the recipient finds a book he was looking forlater that day, while a 6 might cause a truck to comecareening around the corner and hit the angel who waspursuing the spirit. A failed roll has the same effect, butthe spirit will also suffer bad luck at the same level ofeffect! Playing with fortune is dangerous, and even Luckspirits can’t avoid karmic payback. (3 Essence)

Primal: The spirit is simply ridiculously lucky. TheGM should allow lucky things to happen to the spirit ona regular basis, and almost never will a random eventcause harm to it. Whenever the GM is deciding the

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FAITH AND MOUNTAINS“This is what you must believe,” she told me,

pointing toward the horizon. “That a girl can be likethat mountain: immortal, untouchable, beyond thepower of the sorrows of this world.”

“Is it true?” I asked her.“No,” she said, “but it is what you must believe.”I did not believe. Not at first. Then my father came

home and I saw a wonder. All his strength could notmove her from her stance, nor so much as bruise orbrush aside a single hair from her head.

outcome of a situation, any random decisions shouldalmost always favor the spirit. An affinity for Luck has noeffect on Interventions, though – no mere ethereal canthwart God or Lucifer! (No roll)

MineralsAffiliated Songs: Stone (only for stone affinities);

Numinous Corpus: Rock (ditto)Each mineral affinity applies to a particular form of

mineral (such as stone, metal, gems, etc.). These spiritsget a bonus to create their preferred form of material ina dreamscape.

Rite: Spend a night surrounded by stone/metal/gems/etc. (This includes sitting inside a concrete parkinggarage, for stone spirits, or inside a car or a metal vault,for metal spirits.)

Powers:✠ Become heavy and difficult to move.

Subtract the check digit from any Strengthrolls that directly oppose it, whether it isa Contest of Strength, or an attempt tolift or move the spirit. This lasts for theduration of a single encounter (or foran entire dream). (2 Essence)

✠ Become hard as stone or metal,adding Protection equal to the checkdigit. (In the Marches, this reducesethereal damage; divide by 2 and rounddown for celestial protection). This lastsfor 10 minutes × the spirit’s EtherealForces, but can be extended for the sameduration by spending 1 Essence. (2 Essence)

✠ Create mineral vessels. Such vessels haveProtection equal to their Forces (p. 10) (maximumProtection of 6), +2 Power with bare-handed attacks, andare immune to anything that wouldn’t harm a statue(such as temperature extremes, poison, or drowning).However, reduce movement, and Agility for initiativepurposes, by half. (No roll)

MotherhoodThe archetypal nurturer, the spirit gets a bonus to

bring images of motherhood into a dream, including anyattempts to protect children. These spirits tend to likeCherubim.

Rite: Defend a child from harm, or care for a child forone day.

Powers:✠ Choose anyone it likes as its “child.” While someone

is so designated, the spirit will get a +1 to any action toprotect its child. However, it also develops a Dread (p. 48),

equal to its Ethereal Forces, of its child being harmed.The spirit must make a Will roll (or a Dream-Shapingroll) to “detach” itself from a child. (1 Essence)

✠ Know exactly where its “child” is; in the Marches, itcan instantly go there. (1 Essence)

✠ Create Soul Links (p. 64) with a designated “child.”(3 Essence)

Primal: The spirit’s maternal bond is so strong that its“children” also feel it. There are no definite mechanicaleffects, but “children” will feel toward the spirit as theywould toward their real mother, and may be required tomake Will rolls to harm her, disobey her, etc. (The reac-tions of celestials and ethereals will vary, since most don’thave a real “mother,” but if they feel any kind of mater-nal affection, they will have trouble harming the spirit.)

ObscurementAffiliated Songs: Concealment; Form(Ethereal only)

The spirit is good at hiding. It gets abonus to hide itself or others; the bonusit gets on Dream-Shaping rolls (p. 93)also acts as a bonus to its MoveSilently skill in the Marches.

Rite: Successfully hide somethingfrom a searcher for a day (hiding one-self definitely counts!).

Powers:✠ Avoid notice for check digit hours.

Anyone who fails a Perception roll willsimply not take notice of the spirit, unless

they are looking for it or being particularlyalert (GM’s discretion), or the spirit calls

attention to itself. The spirit can’t simply walkpast a guard, and it will certainly be noticed if it makesany hostile moves, but on Earth or in the Marches, it caneasily “fade into the background” and be ignored. (1Essence)

✠ As above, but subjects must make a Perception rolleven if they are alert or looking for the spirit. They’ll stillautomatically perceive it if it threatens them (but it caneasily maneuver into a position to get a surprise firststrike). The duration for this power is only check digitminutes. The spirit can also bestow this property on oth-ers (objects and people) for the same cost. (2 Essence)

Primal: The spirit can become truly invisible at will.This functions like the Ethereal Song of Form (InNomine, p. 80), using the spirit’s Ethereal Forces in placeof the Song’s skill level. The spirit can remain invisiblefor 1 minute × its Ethereal Forces × the amount ofEssence it spends. For 3 Essence per minute, it can makeanother person or object invisible. 59

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PlantsThe spirit gets a bonus to introduce or control plants in

a dream.Rite: Spend all night in contact with plant life.Powers:✠ Only spirits with an affinity for Plants may have plant

vessels. (No roll)✠ Accelerate plant growth. For a number of days equal

to the Essence spent, any plants within a radius in yardsequal to the spirit’s Ethereal Forces will multiply their rateof growth by 1 + the check digit (i.e., a check digit of 2 willcause plants to grow twice as fast, while a check digit of 6will cause a week’s worth of growth every day). (1 Essenceminimum)

✠ The spirit can “possess” plants. The spirit’s corporealvessel will vanish and the spirit can occupy any plant it cantouch for up to check digit hours. This makes a distur-bance just as if the spirit were changing vessels; the plantis treated as being a host. The spirit cannot animate theplant; it can only passively remain in “plant form.” It canuse all of its senses, however, and it can use Songs andaffinities. If the plant it is possessing is destroyed, the spir-it will suffer trauma (p. 18). The spirit can leave its planthost at any time, automatically reverting to the vessel itwas wearing previously (making another disturbance) (2Essence)

✠ Identify a plant and know its properties and all pur-poses for which it can be used (actually using it, such aspreparing a healing herbal brew, may require a skill roll).(1 Essence)

✠ Move unhindered through any form of vegetation, asper the Terrain affinity (p. 61). (2 Essence – cannot bebestowed on others)

Primal: Bless plant life with fecundity, or curse it withbarrenness. An area of soil with a radius in yards equal tothe spirit’s Ethereal Forces will be unusually fertile for anumber of months equal to the check digit. This won’tcause impossible plant growth (such as rosebushes sprout-ing from concrete), but any attempt to plant that might besuccessful, will be (and the plants will usually be particu-larly strong and fecund). Conversely, a curse of low fertil-ity will turn soil barren for the same duration. (5 Essence)(This is similar to the Fertility affinity – p. 56 – but only affectsplants.)

PuissanceThe spirit has an affinity for striking things. Bonuses to

Dream-Shaping are applicable when the spirit wants tocreate a weapon, or create conditions favorable for using itsweapon (a spirit Puissant with bows would get a bonus toturn an indoor dream into an outdoor dream, for example).

Rite: Hit a target with a natural check digit of 6.Powers:✠ Each Puissant spirit can choose a specific weapon

(such as Pistols, Throwing Stars, or Swords), and get apermanent +1 bonus to skill with that weapon. (No roll)

✠ Create an ethereal weapon (p. 98) of an appropriatetype (above) in the Marches, with a Power equal to thecheck digit. The weapon will remain until the spirit ban-ishes it or leaves the ethereal plane. (2 Essence)

✠ Multiply the power of a single attack with the spirit’sbonus weapon by the check digit. This applies not onlyto ethereal attacks, but to physical attacks on the corpo-real plane, or with celestial combat (if applicable) as well!(2 Essence)

Primal: Primal spirits of Puissance can expand their“bonus weapon” to an entire category: either RangedWeapons, Melee Weapons, or Unarmed Combat. (Or atthe GM’s option, more diverse categories such as “samu-rai weapons” or “sharp objects,” etc.) (No roll)

SpeedAffiliated Songs: MotionThe spirit is fast, and gets bonuses to Dream-Shaping

rolls to outrun or outmaneuver another.Rite: Beat someone else in a race or other contest of

speed (fast-drawing, etc.).Powers:✠ For initiative purposes, add the check digit to the

spirit’s Agility. This lasts for an entire fight. (1 Essence)✠ Add the check digit to the spirit’s movement per

turn, in any realm. This lasts for a number of hours equalto the spirit’s Ethereal Forces. (1 Essence)

Primal: The spirit automatically wins any initiativecontest, except against other spirits with an affinity forSpeed, or Ofanim. In the Marches, it will automatically60

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NESTS AND BATTLEI didn’t see it until I drew my gun, but nothing

about this guy was human.He moved toward me as if the wind were shoving

at his back. His eyes were black and gold, like a hon-eycomb. His nails were thick and dark. His waist wasas thin as a wasp’s and his upper body bloated.

The sword in his hand licked out and knocked asidemy gun, then reversed to lay open the back of myhand. “This street is mine,” he said. “Neverreturn.”

win any race or outrun any other being, unless its com-petitor can beat it at a Dream-Shaping Contest. (No roll)

TerrainThis is a category of affinities; each type of terrain (Sea,

Mountain, Forest, Arctic, Desert, City, etc.) must bechosen separately. Terrain spirits get a bonus to createsuch terrain in dreams.

Rite: Spend the night in the given environment.Powers:✠ Add the check digit to any Survival roll in the appro-

priate terrain. (1 Essence)✠ Move unhindered through the spirit’s terrain (walk-

ing easily over snowfields, or through marshes, or pass-ing through heavy jungle) for check digit hours. Thisdoesn’t automatically avoid other natural hazards, butnothing will reduce the spirit’s movement rate. (2Essence, +1 per person to bestow this power on others aswell)

✠ Substitute the check digit of an affinity roll for anArea Knowledge roll within the spirit’s native terrain,even if it doesn’t possess knowledge of the area it’s actu-ally in. (1 Essence)

Primal: Primal terrain spirits automatically make theirSurvival rolls in their native terrain; if a check digit isnecessary, treat it as being equal to the spirit’s EtherealForces. (No roll)

WaterAffiliated Songs: WaterThe spirit gets a bonus to bring water into a dream,

and to shape dream-water to its desires. Some mischie-vous water-spirits are responsible for bedwetting . . .

Rite: Spend the night in or next to a body of water.Powers:✠ Divine the nearest water source. (1 Essence)✠ Breathe water for check digit × 10 minutes. (1

Essence; +1 Essence to grant this ability to another)✠ Walk on water, or move through it in any direction

at normal running speed, for check digit hours. (1Essence)

✠ Create and/or purify water, 1 gallon × the checkdigit. The water can materialize anywhere (but not insidea living being!). However, with a Precision roll, the spir-it can upset the water in living beings. If the victim failsa Strength roll, he will feel nausea and dizziness, suffer-ing a -2 to all rolls for a number of minutes equal to thespirit’s Ethereal Forces. Alternatively, the spirit can afflictsomeone with extreme thirst or a bloated sensation.There is no mechanical effect over the short term, but itwill make most beings very uncomfortable. (2 Essence)

✠ Quench fires, dampening flames over an area equalto check digit square yards. Particularly fierce blazes maycost twice as much Essence, and those that can’t be putout with water (such as oil fires) will be unaffected. (2Essence)

Primal: Primal water spirits can breathe water natural-ly, in any vessel. They can also create vessels of water.The number of Forces of size (p. 68) represents thewatery mass of the vessel; a 1-Force vessel would be onlya gallon or two, 3 Forces would fill a bathtub, and 6Forces could fill a small swimming pool. Watery vesselscan move freely through bodies of water, but are at halfspeed when rolling over dry land. Most physical attackswill pass harmlessly through a watery vessel; the vesselcan only manipulate things physically with difficulty (anda Precision roll), but if it is large enough, it can engulfsomeone and attempt to drown them (win a Contest ofStrength to escape).

WealthAn affinity for wealth gives a spirit bonuses to shape a

dream toward images of riches, or a quest for wealth.Rite: Acquire something more valuable than anything

else currently in one’s possession.Powers:✠ Know an item’s value (relative to the local market) (1

Essence)✠ Judge how wealthy a person is. (1 Essence)✠ Bless someone for check digit days. This blessing can

manifest in any way the GM desires, but it will generallycause economic transactions to go well for the recipient,and bring good luck financially. It won’t instantly turn apauper into a millionaire, but it usually does provide suf-ficient opportunities that the recipient can gain at least alevel of Status, if he takes advantage of them. (2 Essence)

✠ The spirit has a Midas touch – sometimes literally.The exact manner in which this power manifestsdepends on the spirit’s elemental strand (a Gold spiritcould turn objects to gold, a Jewel spirit would conjuregems, a Luck spirit might choose winning lottery ticketsor hot stock picks), but it can generate small fortunes atwill. (The size of a “small” fortune is up to the GM, butanything under a million dollars is appropriate.) (4Essence)

WeatherAffiliated Songs: StormsThe spirit receives a bonus to alter the weather in a

dream, and may affect weather on Earth.Rite: Spend all day exposed to severe weather. 61

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Powers:✠ Become immune to any weather or temperature

extreme, including lightning bolts (but not other electricalattacks) for check digit hours. Even tornadoes, blizzards,and sandstorms (but not indirect results of weather, such asfloods and mudslides, nor natural disasters such as earth-quakes and volcanic eruptions) will blow harmlessly pastthe spirit. (1 Essence)

✠ Predict the weather for the next 24 hours. (1 Essence)

✠ Change the weather. See box; each level of change inseverity and/or temperature costs 2 Essence, and the spiritcannot effect more levels of change than the check digit ofits affinity roll. The effects last for 1 hour, and have a diam-eter of effect equal to the spirit’s Ethereal Forces in miles.

(Example: Changing a mild, slightly breezy spring dayinto an arctic snowstorm would cost 6 Essence to shift thetemperature from temperate to arctic, and 6 Essence to shiftthe severity from mild to severe, or 12 Essence total. Thiswould also require a check digit of 6 on the affinity roll.)62

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WEATHER SEVERITYLevel Temperature Weather1 Arctic Catastrophic; hurricanes,

blizzards, etc.2 Freezing Severe; thunder/

snowstorms, etc.3 Cold Serious; strong wind,

heavy rain, snow, or hail4 Cool/Temperate Moderate; mild winds

and/or precipitation5 Warm Mild; slight breeze and/

or light precipitation6 Hot Dead calm; no wind or

precipitation

PACK AND DROUGHTIt was hot. It had always been hot, since Amelia came.I went to speak to her. As always, she knelt digging at the weeds.

“Why do you do this?” I said. “I know what you are. You are athing from beyond our reality. A goddess. Why you do spend yourlife weeding the society’s gardens?”

She looked up. “I am a goddess,” she concurred, crumbling aweed in her hand. “It is my dharma to kill in my people’s name.Why should I wish for more?”

OPTIONAL SKILL BONUSESIf the Game Master wishes to make affinities

even more useful in the corporeal realm, he maydecide that an affinity will grant a +1 bonus toappropriate mundane skills, as well as affiliatedSongs. The GM is free to change the suggestedskills below, or add other relevant ones (especiallywhen the only skill bonuses are to esotericKnowledges).

Affinity Suggested SkillsAir Driving (Piloting Aircraft)Animals TrackingArtifice Engineering; cumulative with

any Ethereal Forces bonus, p. 53

Books LanguagesCold Knowledge (Meteorology)Deception LyingDestruction Engineering; to find

weaknesses and build devices of destruction

Divination KnowledgeDrowning/

Suffocation SwimmingEmotions EmoteEntrancement SeductionFertility MedicineFilth Survival (Swamps and

other mucky places)Fire Knowledge (Arson,

Firefighting, etc.)Glamour SeductionHunger Knowledge (Cooking)Light EmoteLightning ElectronicsLuck EscapeMinerals Climbing; only for

mineral surfacesMotherhood MedicineObscurement Move SilentlyPlants Survival (Forest,

Woodlands, etc.)Puissance One weapon type; see p. 60Speed RunningTerrain Survival (Terrain type)Water SwimmingWealth Knowledge (Finances,

Stock Market, etc.)Weather Knowledge (Meteorology)

AttunementSEthereal spirits can be granted Servitor Attunements

by a Word-bound celestial, but it’s rare. Beleth is the onlySuperior known to do so, and she only grantsNightmares attunements to ethereal spirits who have

proven themselves immensely valu-able and completely beholden toher.

Choir and Band Attunementscan be given to ethereals, in thesame manner that they can be givento corporeal beings (CorporealPlayer’s Guide, p. 23) – by givingthe ethereal a Force taken from anangel or a demon. Naturally, ethe-reals are even more unlikely thanhumans to receive such a gift;Demon Princes know they’ll even-tually see a Soldier in Hell, butethereals might run away, andArchangels just generally disap-prove of “pagan spirits.”

Certain of the pagan gods arealso capable of granting ServitorAttunements, but these are rare(see Greater Gods, p. 82).

The attunements below can begranted by any greater god, andsome lesser gods or other spirits.Attunements specific to a particu-lar deity will vary in power andcost, and usually carry some continuing duty to the god whogranted them. (Therefore, it’s recommended that no ethereal PCstart out with an attunement, unlessthe player provides a very interest-ing explanation – probably onewhich makes him totally dependenton the gifting Superior . . .)

Ethereal ConnectionThis attunement can be granted

by a Superior, or by certain verypowerful ethereal spirits. It allowsmortals to perform Ethereal Songs(and, because of its unique connec-tion to the ethereal plane, theCelestial Song of Dreams).

Among celestial Superiors, only Blandine and Belethnormally grant this attunement. Ethereal gods also grantit to their own Dream Soldiers (p. 122). Non-mortals donot need this attunement.

Characters with an Ethereal Connection must stillmeet all the other criteria for performing a Song.

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ELEMENTS AND THEIR AFFINITESEach element (pp. 24-25) lists suggested affinities. For those who pre-

fer to design a character by choosing affinities first, and then elementalstrands that harmonize with them, here is a summary. (Affinities do notneed to mesh with elements, nor does a spirit have to be initiated to gainaffinities. It’s merely an aesthetic choice.)

Affinity ElementsAir Classical Elements (Winds), Emotions, WeatherAnimals Life, Society (Pack/Tribe)Artifice Structures, TechBooks InformationCold Classical Elements (Water), Weather (Snow/Hail)Deception Astronomical Concepts (Moon),

Information (Imagination/Faith), Senses, SocietyDestruction Struggle, WeatherDivination Astronomical Concepts, Information, TechDrowning/ Classical Elements (all but Winds), Structures,

Suffocation Terrain (Seas/Lakes, etc.)Emotions Emotions, WeatherEntrancement Senses, Society, WealthFertility Life, WeatherFilth Struggle, Terrain (Landfill/Swamp), WealthFire Classical Elements (Flame)Glamour Astronomical Concepts, Senses,

Society, Structures, WealthHunger Life, StruggleLight Astronomical Concepts, SensesLightning Tech, Weather (Storms/Lightning)Luck Astronomical Concepts, SensesMinerals Classical Elements (Rock), Structures,

Terrain (Mountains/Caves, etc.), WealthMotherhood Society, StructuresObscurement Astronomical Concepts, Information, Life, SensesPlants Life, Terrain (Forests/Grasslands, etc.)Puissance Struggle, TechSpeed Emotions, Information (News), Life, Struggle, TechTerrain TerrainWater Classical Elements (Water)Wealth WealthWeather Weather

SOUL LINKSometimes ethereal or celestial beings acquire a special

kind of Discord; a Symphonic link to a human soul thatobligates them to that mortal. Occasionally pagan godsgrant such links voluntarily, and it’s rumored thatadvanced sorcerous rituals can force one upon a spirit . . .or even a celestial. For a celestial, a Soul Link is anEthereal Discord, but for the human, it’s an advantage,costing 3 points per level. (For ethereals, it may be anadvantage or a disadvantage, depending on the circum-stances. It is worth 3 points per level either way.)

The spirit or celestial is linked to the human as per theDjinn resonance (In Nomine, p. 142), with exactly thesame benefits and restrictions, but the attunement is per-manent until the Discord is removed. The human willalways recognize the being that is Soul Linked to him, andmay ask for a favor if they meet. The other being must rollvs. Will minus the level of the Soul Link, or feel com-pelled to fulfill the request as if it were a Geas. These“boons” don’t disappear like a Geas when they’re fulfilled,though – the human can ask for another the next timethey meet! (The human cannot demand further boonswhile his “patron” is still working on the last one . . .though he can ask.)

Once per day, the human can voluntarily give Essence tohis patron (even if they are on separate planes), up to anamount equal to the level of the Link. He may do thiseven if he is not Symphonically aware (in which case he’llautomatically give all the Essence he has or the maximumallowed, whichever is less). The patron cannot sendEssence to the human through a Soul Link.

SkillSEthereals can learn any skill (see p. 11), but some skills

work differently in the Marches.

AREA KNOWLEDGE(THE MARCHES)

Navigating the Marches is always an adventure, sincelocation and distance are relative and mutable. Anyattempt to map even a small section of the Marches wouldbe obsolete by the next night. An Area Knowledge of theMarches gives a general familiarity with the most impor-tant Domains, where they are most likely to be found rel-ative to one another, and what signs indicate their prox-imity. See p. 90 for more on ethereal navigation.

More specific Area Knowledges on the ethereal plane(such as Beleth’s Marches, the Vale, Olympus, etc.) applyonly within those Domains, but should allow travelers tonavigate them with confidence. Usually.

Ofanim can use their resonance to increase this roll, asusual. However, not all Domains are “established loca-tions that exist in the public consciousness” (In Nomine,p. 97). It would be appropriate for the GM to assign thesame penalties to the resonance roll as those given to thenavigation roll itself – especially if the Ofanite is not aServitor of Dreams and/or has little experience in theMarches.

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DREAMING(PRECISION/WILL -3)

This is the skill of manipulating the imagery of dreams– in mortals, this is lucid dreaming, which allows adreamer to manipulate his own dreamscape. Luciddreamers may shape their own dreamworlds with Willeffect similar to the Ethereal Song of Dreams – this ispossible only in the human’s own dreamscape. Finally, asuccessful Dreaming roll at -2 (totaling -5, by default)allows dreamers to “collapse” their dreamscapes aboutthemselves like a deep-sea diver’s suit, and wander theMarches, traveling between Blandine and Beleth’s sidesof the Vale, or even into the Far Marches.

For non-mortals, including undead who somehowwind up in the Marches, this skill is also known asDream-Shaping. It allows the user to attempt to manip-ulate the local environment, be it dreamscape, Marches,or an ethereal Domain.

A Dreaming roll can be substituted for a Will roll tofall asleep or wake up. It does not allow entry into anoth-er person’s dreamscape, nor does it permit undead toform a dreamscape. A Dreaming roll can also alter one’sown ethereal self-image. (See Dream-Shaping, p. 93, forguidelines on personal Dream-Shaping.) See p. 91 formore on lucid dreamers and Dream-Shaping.

KNOWLEDGESEthereals gain a Knowledge skill, based on their Image

(see p. 125), of how to be that Image. See p. 128, ImageFulfillment Bonuses.

LANGUAGESThere is no common ethereal language; spirits either

learn one from their strands (see p. 23), or are grantedone by virtue of their creation within a dream. An ethe-real may have one free Language/3, and spend points tolearn others normally. Most ethereals will learn a “trad-ing language,” which tends to parallel human tradinglanguages or human populations. Chinese is, therefore, a

good choice, as French was historically. Since the PurityCrusade, the choice of “Helltongue” – the language ofdemons – has also become a relatively common secondlanguage for ethereals. There are many Domains whichpermit automatic translations (p. 106), though!

MOVE SILENTLYThis skill allows one to do the same thing in the

Marches that it does elsewhere; avoid being noticed (InNomine, p. 76). However, when attempting to MoveSilently in the Marches, add your skill to Precisioninstead of Agility.

SURVIVAL (THE MARCHES)While physical needs are at most illusory in the

Marches, the ethereal plane has unique hazards that canthreaten the life and sanity of those who wander igno-rantly about, especially in the Far Marches. AreaKnowledge (see above) is helpful in getting where onewants to go, but Survival skill in the Marches will helpone avoid hazards along the way. A successful roll shouldallow one to avoid ethereal predators and environmentalhazards (which can take any form imaginable) for a num-ber of hours equal to the check digit. A failed roll meansthe traveler has no idea what dangers he might be stum-bling into; the consequences are up to the GM, andcould range from becoming trapped in a god’s Domainto running into one of the Tsayadim. Angels of Dreamsand demons of Nightmares get a +4 bonus to this skillwhen in their Superior’s Domain or the Vale, as do ethe-real spirits in their native Domains. 65

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OPTIONAL FREE SKILLSIf the Game Master feels that ethereal spirits should be

more competent in the realm of their creation, he may rulethat they receive certain benefits, much as humans may begiven free skills in the Corporeal Player’s Guide, p. 24.Suggested free skills for ethereals would include:

✠ Area Knowledge/1 (home Domain or local area of theMarches)

✠ Dreaming/1✠ Language/1 (Chinese, French, English, Helltongue, or

the dominant language of the Domain they live in; this is inaddition to their free Language/3)

✠ Song of Draining (Celestial/1); see p. 66 for the variants✠ Survivial/1 (The Marches)

We are not always what we seem,and hardly ever what we dream.

– Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

TRACKINGIt’s possible to track someone on the ethereal plane,

but the rules of local Domains may make it difficult ornigh-impossible . . . or frighteningly easy. The trail oneleaves in the Marches will always vanish within a night;trackers must make a Tracking roll with a check digit notless than the number of hours it’s been since their quar-ry passed that way to detect traces of their passing. Inparticularly chaotic Domains, the time period may bereduced to minutes or seconds. On the other hand, aDomain of Endless Winter might force one to leaveobvious footprints in the snow, clearly visible to anyonewho follows for the rest of the night, unless a blizzardappears to sweep them away. If the prey has Survival(Marches), then in addition to beating the time, thetracker must win a Contest, as described in In Nomine(p. 78).

SongSAll ethereals are Symphonically aware, and are capable

of performing Songs in all three realms. (Like othercharacters, however, they cannot perform Songs in arealm in which they have no Forces.) They preferEthereal Songs; if a spirit knows multiple versions of aSong, its skill will usually be highest with the Etherealversion. A few Songs are known only by ethereals, andsome others are particularly favored by them.

Learning Songs can be difficult for ethereals, sincethey generally don’t have a Superior who will teach them.While they can discover Songs within their strands (seep. 24), not all of the ones they want are available. Thus,Songs are a common currency in the Marches, and aSong not commonly known is a very valuable commodi-ty. When ethereals bargain with celestials, Songs arewhat they will frequently ask for. (Detailed rules forSong-learning are found in the Liber Canticorum. Forsimplicity, assume that with a teacher – who must per-form the Song once a week for the student – it will takeabout 12 weeks for the Song to be taught. This willbestow the Song at level 1; the student should pay thecharacter point then.)

Older spirits, especially the gods, may know some ofthe “secret” Songs that celestials try to keep from oneanother . . . or even possess secret Songs that areunknown in the celestial realms! (They will also be wiseenough not to boast about their secrets.) Acquiring sucha Song should be an adventure.

And then there are the more common ethereal-specific Songs.

DRAININGThe Songs of Draining are described in the Liber

Canticorum (pp. 32-33). There are two variants of theCelestial version, however, which are commonly knownon the ethereal plane and used by many predatory spir-its. Note that each variation must be learned separately,as described in the Liber Canticorum (p. 24). Unlessstated otherwise, if one of an ethereal spirit’s listed Songsis the Celestial Song of Draining, it will be the Dream-Draining variant described below.

Dream-DrainingThis Song allows the performer to turn a single

dreamscape into an Essence trap. Anyone who spendsEssence within that dreamscape (including the per-former!) must make a Will roll, or else the Essence willbe transferred to the performer instead! (If the performerwas trying to spend Essence, his action is simply abort-ed.) The Song will last for a number of hours equal to thecheck digit plus any Essence spent, or until the dream-scape fades, whichever comes first. The performer can-not hold more Essence than normal; excess is lost.(Spirits can transfer Essence to their Essence cache, ofcourse – see p. 17. Making transfers to one’s cache is notconsidered “spending Essence.”) All Essence drained,whether or not it goes to the performer, creates a distur-bance in the Symphony. The performer must actually bewithin the dreamscape also in order to gain the Essence– otherwise, drained Essence just bleeds off into theSymphony.

Draining TouchThe touch variant allows the performer to drain

Essence from anyone he touches for the duration of theSong (check digit hours plus any Essence spent). Victimsmust spend Essence while the performer is touching them,and get a Will roll to negate the drain, as describedabove. The performer himself will have to make a Willroll every time he wants to spend Essence, or the Songwill create a loop that negates the expenditure.

Essence Requirement: 2.Disturbance: the check digit plus the performer’s total

Forces.

EXCHANGEOnly the Ethereal Song of Exchange has been wit-

nessed, though there have been dark rumors of aCelestial version as well. Only ethereal spirits can per-form the Ethereal version, and the Host ruthlessly hunts66

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down any spirit known to possess it (even Blandine sup-ports the effort to eradicate this Song). All those whoknow it have supposedly been eliminated several timessince the Purification Crusade, but it keeps popping upagain . . .

Ethereal – The only known version of the Song ofExchange allows an ethereal being to fully manifest onthe corporeal plane without the need for a Tether, orspending Essence on a vessel. It does this by taking overan existing corporeal form – namely, an unsuspectinghuman or animal! (Celestial vessels, or those ofother ethereals, cannot be taken over in thismanner.) The ethereal cannot choosewhom (or even what) it will possess.The Symphony conducts theexchange “randomly,” puttingthe ethereal in the body of aliving being whose Forcesare equal to the amount ofEssence spent on the Song.The amount of Essencespent (and thus theForces of the host) maynot exceed the spirit’stotal Forces.

While inhabiting amortal in this manner, theethereal is treated as hav-ing a vessel at a level equalto the mortal’s Forces. Thevictim takes the performer’splace in the Marches. TheSong lasts for check digit days,but the spirit can prolong it auto-matically for another 1-6 days byspending the same amount in Essenceagain. There is no limit to how long theSong can be maintained, as long as the per-former can continue spending Essence. If the spirit’s hostbody is killed, the spirit suffers Trauma (p. 18). The hap-less original owner, however, will become a dream-shade(p. 122), wandering the Marches until he finally ascendsto his last reward.

It is said that there are poor exchanged souls still wan-dering the Far Marches. Some were mistakenly slain asethereals during the Purification Crusade. No one knowshow the Symphony “chooses” who will be exchangedwith the ethereal spirit; this is completely up to the GM.Since this aspect of the Song is therefore a plot device,the victim does not get a resistance roll.

Essence requirement: 1.Degree of Disturbance: the performer’s total Forces.

SPIRIT SPEECHEthereal spirits and their servants often communi-

cate through the Songs of Spirit Speech. Only humansand ethereals may use them; celestials cannot learn orbe affected by them. Most humans who know theseSongs are agents or worshipers of pagan spirits; someare sorcerers.

All of these Songs require that the performer have methis target at least once, though he need not reveal hisown identity when he sends a message. He must visual-

ize the soul to whom he wishes to speak, andthen perform the Song. The target may be

anywhere in the corporeal or etherealrealms, except when noted other-

wise.Corporeal – The Corporeal

Song of Spirit Speech onlyworks on targets in the corpo-real realm. It will send a ver-bal message – in the per-former’s voice, audible toanyone within hearingrange of the target – nolonger than a number ofwords equal to the Essencespent × the performer’sCorporeal Forces. If the tar-get is sleeping, he must make

a Perception roll to awakeninstantly and hear the mes-

sage.Ethereal – This version of the

Song creates a minor illusion,affecting only one sense and percep-

tible only by the target. For example, abeckoning figure could be seen, text on a

page could be altered to read differently, or asoft voice could be heard. The effect lasts for a numberof minutes equal to the performer’s Ethereal Forces.

Celestial – The performer will manifest briefly in frontof his target, for a number of rounds equal to the per-former’s Celestial Forces. He will not be seen by anyoneelse. If an ethereal spirit uses this Song to manifest onEarth, it may materialize there if it has an available ves-sel, ending the Song’s effects. This Song may be main-tained indefinitely by spending additional Essence; thetarget may contribute some or all of the Essence if hewishes.

Essence Requirement: 1.Degree of Disturbance: none when used wholly within

the ethereal realm; the check digit when either the per-former or the target is in the corporeal realm. 67

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VeSSelS“I could swear I saw it.”“Who?”“The thing from my dreams.”“What did you do?”“I looked away. It is not safe to see such things awake.”

Ethereals have a special means of creating vessels forthemselves out of Essence, using their Essence cache (p.17). The Essence cost of a vessel is based on its size (seebelow) and vessel level. Like celestials, an ethereal vesselis rated from level 1 to 6 (and the Body hits of an ethere-al vessel are figured the same way). As with celestial ves-sels, an ethereal vessel will duplicate the natural abilitiesof whatever creature the vessel is patterned after; a birdvessel can fly, a fish vessel can breathe water, a wolf ves-sel will have a nasty bite and excellent sense of smell, etc.Like celestial vessels, ethereal vessels are unaging, andneed no food, water, or sleep.

Note that only spirits with an Artifice affinity (p. 53)can have inanimate object vessels.

The cost of a vessel is 15 Essence × the vessel’s size ×the vessel level.

Example: A rat (1-Force) Vessel/1 would cost 15 × 1 ×1 = 15 Essence.

Example 2: A human (5-Force) Vessel/3 would cost 15× 5 × 3 = 225 Essence.

Example 3: An elephant (6-Force) Vessel/6 would cost15 × 6 × 6 = 540 Essence.

Vessel SizeAn ethereal’s corporeal form is limited by the power of

the spirit. Celestials can inhabit any vessels they’re given,regardless of size, but an ethereal spirit can only animateso much corporeal matter. Ethereal vessels are rated by

their “size,” which is the minimum number of Forcesrequired to occupy them. The size of most vessels is equalto the number of Forces possessed by a normal corporealbeing of that type. E.g., an adult human vessel has a size of5, and cannot be used by an ethereal spirit with less than5 Forces. If a spirit should lose a Force, it will be unable tomanifest in any vessels requiring more Forces than its newtotal.

Physical size does not always directly correlate to Forcesin In Nomine, however. A large animal won’t necessarilyhave more Forces than a human. But because vessel size isa function of both complexity of form and physical mass,large vessels require more Forces to animate.

Some typical vessels are given below:1 Force (15 Essence per level): Tiny things, from taran-

tulas up to rats, mice, or small birds. Can also be small,portable objects like cups, knives, or jewelry.

2 Forces (30 Essence per level): Small creatures; a cat,a small dog, or a raven. Objects that can be carried in onehand: a large book, a briefcase, a sword, or something ofequivalent size.

3 Forces (45 Essence per level): Medium-sized crea-tures, such as an ordinary dog, wolf, or coyote, or an eagle.“Manikins” – small humanoid creatures, up to 3 feet tall –fall into this category. So does a very small child. Smallpieces of furniture like chairs or TV sets are also possible.

4 Forces (60 Essence per level): Large creatures, suchas a big dog, a deer, or a kangaroo, as well as a large childor very small adult human. Objects too large to carry eas-ily, such as tables, couches, or a suit of armor, can also bevessels.

5 Forces (75 Essence per level): Human-sized up toabout horse-sized. Includes normal-sized people, adultbears, lions and other big cats, dolphins, horses, cows, etc.Objects too large to lift, such as a motorcycle, a heavybookcase, or a vending machine.

6 Forces (90 Essence per level): Really big creatures,such as elephants, small whales, and monstrous forms like9-foot tall ogres or wyverns. Also large inanimate objects,like a car or a tool shed.

Really Big Vessels: It takes a lot of Forces to animate ablue whale or a dinosaur. If an ethereal really wants tomanifest on Earth in the form of a 50-foot long dragon,and the GM wants to allow it, just charge as many addi-tional Forces as seems appropriate. (Remember that evena Godzilla-sized vessel – which should only be allowed inseriously over-the-top campaigns – won’t have any moreStrength or Body hits than the ethereal’s CorporealForces provide.) And keep in mind that ethereals don’twant to attract attention, so gigantic and/or unearthly ves-sels are expensive investments that will probably just getthem killed.68

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OPTIONAL VESSEL RULESSince ethereals can store Essence to make a vessel,

unlike celestials outside of Limbo, it is more in keepingwith their themes that they pay Essence, not characterpoints, to own vessels. However, figuring the vessel’sEssence costs can be tedious and complex. The GMmay decide to charge character points for starting ves-sels, as with celestials – but assume that once a vessel isbought, the spirit may create an exact duplicate of thatvessel whenever it has the Essence to do so!

Charisma and Other Vessel Features

Ethereal vessels can have Charisma, or LimitedCharisma (such as Sex Appeal), up to a total of +3. Eachpoint of Charisma increases the vessel cost by 15 Essenceper vessel level (so Charisma +3 on a level 6 vessel wouldcost an additional 270 Essence!). Each point of limitedCharisma/Sex Appeal costs 10 Essence per vessel level.Each point of negative Charisma is treated like 1 level ofVessel Discord (see below).

If the GM wishes to permit unusual vessels, with toughskin, night vision, or other special abilities, see the GameMaster’s Guide, p. 19. Each point of Vessel Featurescosts 15 Essence per vessel level.

Vessel DiscordIn order to create a vessel more cheaply, ethereals may

accept Vessel Discord. Unlike normal Discord (p. 13),

Vessel Discord is attached to a specific vessel; the spiritonly suffers from that Discord while manifesting in thatvessel. Vessel Discord does not give the spirit any charac-ter points, but it reduces the Essence cost to create thevessel by 3 Essence × the vessel level × the level ofDiscord. Celestial Discord reduces the vessel cost by 5Essence × the vessel level × the level of Discord. Noamount of Discord can reduce the cost of a vessel below1 Essence.

Example: An ethereal spirit creates a level 4 humanvessel, which would normally cost 300 Essence.However, this human vessel is grossly fat (Obese/4),reducing the cost by 3 × 4 × 4 = 48 Essence, for a net costof 252 Essence.

Example 2: A level 1 snake vessel (2 Forces) costs 30Essence. With the Celestial Discord Murderous/6, thecost is 30 - (5 × 1 × 6) = 0 (raised to the minimum of 1).

Multiple VesselsEthereals may have multiple vessels, but the total base

Essence cost of all their vessels (before factoring reduc-tions from Vessel Discord) may not exceed the size oftheir Essence cache (p. 17). They may switch betweenvessels as celestials do (In Nomine, p. 49), by spending 1Essence.

Vessels from Other SourcesA celestial Superior can give a vessel to an ethereal.

They rarely do, of course. Some of the ethereal gods canalso make vessels and give them to other ethereals. Theadvantage of getting a vessel from a Superior is that itdoesn’t count against the ethereal’s limit on multiple ves-sels (above), and a celestially-created vessel has no “size”;i.e., an Archangel or Demon Prince could theoreticallygive a 1-Force ethereal a human vessel. 69

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STARTING VESSELSEthereals don’t pay character points for ves-

sels, so an ethereal PC may want to start playwith vessel(s) as powerful as its Essence cachewill allow. The GM may allow this, if the ethe-real has been around long enough that it couldreasonably have saved up that much. (A veryrecent spirit is unlikely to have accumulated 600Essence!) Ethereal characters will find it easierand cheaper to have powerful, multiple vesselsthan celestials; considering that physical deathhas a more dire effect on ethereals (p. 18), this isa fair tradeoff.

70E T H E R E A L B E I N G S

EtherealBeingS

BIRTHI am a killer. I am a wolf whose mouth

drips with blood. I am as large as a tiger.Guns do not hurt me. Knives do not hurt me.I am hungry. Always. I have chased downanother man. He is hamstrung. He issprawled on the ground. He pleads for mercy.In the background, I can see them – my keep-ers. The six-eyed black serpent. The greenlady. They drive me across the Marches, fromdream to dream, and watch as I hunt andkill.

I do not understand the man’s words. I donot understand what “mercy” means. Theconcept is null; it cannot exist inside my mind.Perhaps it is a sign of hunger. I am sorry forthe man, who will not eat today.

“Please,” he whimpers. “No.”I recognize that last word. It is a word my

keepers have used. When they use it, they alsobring me pain. Yet the man does not bring mepain. I begin to chew on his leg as I think. Ishe trying to discourage me from the hunt? Isthere some circumstance of which I am notaware?

I raise my head for a moment and lookaround. There could be danger. I have a smallunderstanding of danger. It is best avoided.But no. That is not his intent.

I look at him again. There is a strange lookin his eyes. My eyes have never looked likethat. “No,” he says, again.

Suddenly I understand. It is impossible, butI understand. He is asking me not to eat him.

It is a possible thing that I will not eat him.I have a choice. I can kill or not kill. This

knowledge is blinding: the greatest and deep-est revelation I have ever known.

I am grateful to the man. I will not kill him. I turn to leavethe dream. My keepers are saying something. They are angry. Iwill hurry, leaving. They have a look in their eyes. My eyes havelooked like that.

They are going to begin a hunt.

Anything that can be imagined (and some things thatcan’t) can come to life in the Marches. “Ethereal spirit”encompasses everything from singing beer bottles thatwill vanish when the dreamer awakens to the mightypagan gods of old. They have in common only that theyare of the same substance. A lowly figment (p. 74) is likeunto a god in the same way that a reliever is like unto anArchangel.

Ethereals are more mutable than corporeals or celes-tials. They are formed from Earthly Essence, and reflectEarthly dreams. Often their nature is imposed upon them,and sometimes it can be forcibly changed. And just as aninfernal spirit can someday become a Demon Prince, socan a puny dream fragment someday become a god.

Ethereal spirits can be categorized by their natures andorigins, but no classification is definitive or completelyaccurate. Spirits can assume any guise they like; there’sno way to be sure whether the Santa Claus youencounter in the Marches is just a fragment recentlyescaped from a child’s dreamscape, a full-fledged spiritsubsisting on the belief of children worldwide (one ofmany such “Santas”), a pagan god attempting to 71

E T H E R E A L B E I N G S

ETHEREALS, CELESTIALS, AND HUMANSA frequent topic of debate in the Marches is whether angels and demons

are just a kind of ethereal (as many spirits claim) or not (as celestials cate-gorically state). Celestials typically claim the differences between themprove that they are different from “soulless images given form by dreams,”while those ethereals who care will reply that celestials are merely partak-ing of a vastly powerful element, the Almighty-strand. Right or wrong, thedifferences do exist. (Though there are always rumors of a spirit who wentto Heaven/got a Word/became a Malakite. Rumors are like that.)

✠ Ethereals cannot enter the celestial realm, either by nature or by God’spower over “the celestial Domain.” Even in one of the three ethereal-to-celestial Tethers (pp. 101-102), they merely continue to climb the etherealportion of it, forever. (The Celestial Song of Projection does work on them.)

✠ Yves pronounced, long before the Fall, that ethereals cannot be givenWords. Whether or not Lucifer has attempted it is unknown, but in lightof his rebellion against God, the lack of an ethereal Prince is suggestive.

✠ Ethereals, while able to Dream-Shape their outward appearances, can-not become either celestials or humans. Neither can humans become ethe-reals. However, it has been known for a powerful being to strip away theEthereal Forces of a human and bind them into a small spirit, producing anethereal being with fragmentary memories of “being” a human. (Heraclesis one of the most famous ethereals who is rumored to have been so “born”of a mortal dream-shade.) Likewise, the Forces of a spirit can be strippedand bound into a small celestial – usually a demonling – with similar effects.

✠ Only ethereal spirits have been able to use Dreaming skill to form amicro-Domain (p. 105). Still, mortal sorcerers frequently pursue ritualswhich allegedly will duplicate the ability, usually in search of an “afterliferetirement resort.”

(As always, GMs may choose to make rumors true; a campaign might focus onthwarting – or becoming – an ethereal Prince, Initiating as an angel, or enteringthe celestial realm by aid of a mystic relic in the Farthest Marches. That WhichBreaks The Rules is often possessed of exactly the mythic feel which the Marchesfavor. And even if the quest is futile, the questing is enough for many spirits.)

subsume the image of St. Nick into his own Image (see p. 125), or even an elemental temporarily adopting theguise of Santa for its own purposes.

All of the following spirit types are created using thesame rules (p. 12 for an overview). They are not “charac-ter classes,” but descriptive categories. An elemental canalso be a figment; a pagan god might be a primal spirit ora dream spirit, both or neither. These categories are nei-ther exclusive nor all-inclusive. You do not have to chooseone for your character; use them to give you an idea ofwhere to start, but they are not how the character must bedefined.

ElementalS“Elementals” are ethereal spirits defined primarily by

their elements (p. 22). Most of the older ethereals are ele-mentals; the oldest elementals predate humanity.Elementals may be born in a mortal’s dream, but they aremore likely to materialize spontaneously out of the envi-ronment of the Marches. Some say that the first elemen-tals were born as the Earth cooled and began to dream ofsolid rock and liquid water, and later of storms, moun-tains, and life.

The term “elemental” should not be confused with theclassical elements (see p. 25); while ethereal spirits ofEarth, Fire, Wind, and Water (and Sea, Mountain, Storm,and other natural elements) are often elementals, so areethereals made of more contemporary and humanocentricstrands, such as spirits of Lust, Mothers, Automobiles, andPhilosophy. The defining feature of an elemental is that itstrongly embodies only one or two strands, and typicallyembodies them in a simplistic manner. Elementals tend tohave very thin, if not transparent, masks (p. 126); theydefine themselves by their strand(s), and not by someexternal sense of purpose or an Image fashioned for themin mortal dreams. Sometimes they assume unlikely guises;a Fire elemental might manifest in human form andbehave like a scholar, and an elemental whose primarystrands are Battle and Rivers might assume the Image of atree or spider. This is most common when an elemental istrying to change its Image or expand its affinities (see p.129). However, elementals prefer more intuitive forms,that resemble their stereotypes. A fire elemental usuallymanifests as a creature of living flame. If it does takehuman form, it will have glowing eyes, a fiery temper, anda propensity for combustion. An elemental of Battle andRivers might appear as a warrior (usually standing on ariverbank), or in watery form, raging like a flood. It’s usu-ally easy to guess an elemental’s strands, unless it’s makingan effort to obscure them. Primal spirits (p. 73) are fre-quently elementals.

CREATING AN ELEMENTALThe most important feature of an elemental is the

composition of its being, so creation should start withchoosing a strand (p. 22). Most elementals have only oneor two primary strands; those with two strands havestrongly complementary ones. (“Fire” and “Hailstorms”are unlikely to be combined in an elemental.)

After choosing the character’s elements, design thespirit using the rules outlined on p. 12. For a typical ele-mental, choose a straightforward Image (“Fire Spirit” isa perfectly fine Image) and the most obvious affinities.Even atypical elementals rarely vary too much from theirarchetype. Elementals come in all sizes, from the puny 1-Force spirits that swarm across most Domains to power-ful, ancient spirits with godlike powers.

SAMPLE ELEMENTAL:MCCORMICK THEGUNSLINGER

Spirit of Guns and DuelsCorporeal Forces - 2 Strength 3 Agility 5Ethereal Forces - 3 Intelligence 4 Precision 8Celestial Forces - 2 Will 4 Perception 4

Elements: Guns (a subset of Technology, p. 39) andDuels (a subset of Struggle, p. 37)

Affinities: Puissance (Guns) (Strong), Speed (Moderate)Vessel: Human/6 (male gunfighter – Essence cost: 450)Skills: Area Knowledge (Marches/1), Fighting/2,

Dodge/2, Dreaming/2, Ranged Weapon (Pistol/6,Rifle/2), Riding/2, Survival (Marches/1)

Artifact: Pistol talisman – Ranged Weapon/3 (Pistol)Dread: Losing a Duel/3 (This is a moderate Dread,

worth 2 points per level.)Born in the 50s, McCormick is a cowboy gunslinger. He

prefers to appear in dusty Western dreamscapes riding ahorse, with a hat pulled down to shade his eyes. He fol-lows (inconsistently) a “cowboy’s code of honor;” he’spolite to ladies and won’t attack defenseless people, but helives for gunfighting and is equally happy playing the goodguy or the bad guy in a dream. He will attempt to manip-ulate any dream to bring about a duel, usually against thedreamer. Clever dreamers can avoid going up againstMcCormick directly by introducing new entities for thespirit to confront; McCormick will willingly play the roleof the heroic defender, as long as he gets to gun someonedown. The other option is to simply refuse to fight thegunslinger, as he won’t shoot an unarmed person. Butwithout other targets, the spirit will go to great lengths to72


goad and/or frighten a dreamer into taking him on – he’lleven conjure a gun into his “opponent’s” hand.

McCormick always wins his duels in the Marches, butthis no longer satisfies him. Since he must (according tohis own self-image) be the “fastest gun in the West,” hebelieves that he can only truly claim this title if he proveshimself in the corporeal realm as well. He’s not so over-confident that he wants to have a posse of angels huntinghim, so he’ll carefully plan any Earthly duels, trying toarrange one-on-one gunfights in remote areas, where thedisturbance he makes shooting his opponent is unlikely tobe heard.

(McCormick is a balanced 7-Force ethereal who has initiated;he’s a bit one-dimensional for a player character, but as an NPChe’d make a formidable opponent or sidekick.)

Primal SpiritSPrimal spirits are made up of a single element; they

have one strand, and one strand only. This allows themto have primal affinities (p. 50). Most primal spirits areelementals (above), manifesting their single element inthe most straightforward manner possible. However,some take on more complex Images.

CREATING A PRIMAL SPIRITCreating a primal spirit is much like creating an ele-

mental (p. 72); but simpler. Choose one element and oneaffinity, and emphasize it. With few exceptions, the spir-it will be designed around its primal affinity (assuming it’spowerful enough to have one). Many of the gods startedout as primal spirits.

SAMPLE PRIMAL SPIRIT: AUREM

Spirit of GoldCorporeal Forces - 1 Strength 3 Agility 1Ethereal Forces - 3 Intelligence 6 Precision 6Celestial Forces - 2 Will 3 Perception 5

Element: Gold (a subset of Wealth, p. 42)Affinities: Wealth (Primal), Light (Slight), Greed

(Slight)Vessel: Human/1, Sex Appeal +3 (female – Essence cost:

85)Skills: Emote/1, Lying/2, Savoir-Faire/2, Seduction/5Songs: Attraction (Ethereal/3), Draining (Celestial/2),

Spirit Speech (Ethereal/1)

Dread: Losing Value/3 (I.e., being found unattractiveby someone to whom she is attracted, or being “dumped”by a current paramour . . . which is why she always dumpsthem first. This is a moderate Dread, worth 2 points perlevel.)

Gold spirits can manifest in many ways in the Marches;fat, good-natured Oriental men, gruff and belligerentlumps of rock with veins of gold running through them,fast-talking con-men with beaming smiles. Aurem’s Imageis that of a sultry, beautiful girl with a taste for the finestthings in life. Discovering that she could attract moreEssence by catering to greed than fear, she began appear-ing to wealthy men in their dreams, learning what drivesthose who already have everything to want even more.The luxury and hedonism of their dreamscapes appealedto her, giving her a desire to experience corporeal plea-sures in the flesh. Finally, she mustered the courage to cre-ate a vessel modeled after the most beautiful women in hersubjects’ dreams. Now she is often found on the arm of abusiness tycoon, aristocrat, or high-stakes gambler, livingthe good life and showering her mortal paramour withgood fortune when it pleases her. But Aurem is a ficklespirit, and cannot be permanently satisfied by her wealthylovers, any more than they can be satisfied with the wealththey have or the riches she bestows upon them. Inevitably,she grows bored, and seeks someone handsomer, moreexciting, and most importantly, richer.

(Aurem is a balanced, 6-Force ethereal who has not yet initi-ated (see p. 46); that she has a Dread suggests she may havetried, but failed to completely “find herself.” In any sort ofSymphonic confrontation she’d be out of her league, but she iswell-positioned for moving in high circles in mortal society.)

SAMPLE PRIMAL SPIRIT: THE FINAL EXAM

Fear SpiritCorporeal Forces - 1 Strength 2 Agility 2Ethereal Forces - 2 Intelligence 6 Precision 2Celestial Forces - 2 Will 5 Perception 3

Element: FearAffinities: Fear (Moderate)Skills: Knowledge (History/1, Math/1)Songs: Charm (Ethereal/4), Draining (Celestial/4),

Dreaming (Ethereal/3), Entropy (Ethereal/2)Remember that dream where you forgot to attend a

class all semester, and then suddenly had to pass the finalexam to graduate? It’s been going around – someonedreamed it vividly enough to bring it to life. 73


The Final Exam is a primal spirit of Fear (though itprefers to call itself an “Anxiety Spirit”). It’s not yet strongenough to have a primal affinity, but after terrorizing a fewmore campuses (and perhaps after being initiated, p. 46),it will. Its method is very simple: it generates nightmaresin which it forces a hapless dreamer to take an exam hehasn’t prepared for. It does its best to cause enough anxi-ety that the dreamer will spend all his Essence trying topass. If he does pass, the Final Exam will suffer from itsown fear (p. 48), but it often attacks students who defeat itwith the Song of Entropy, in revenge.

Dreamers trying to pass the spirit’s exam must beat it ina Contest of Knowledge skills. Of course it’s not a fair con-test; the spirit can use its Fear affinity and Songs to stackthe deck.

(The Final Exam is dangerous in its own way, and wouldmake a good threat for Dream Soldiers or sorcerers. It could alsoplague a student whom an angel is watching over . . .)

dream SpiritSDream spirits (sometimes called, derogatorily, “dream

fragments”) are born in a dream; their Image is that givento them by a mortal dreamer. Most dream spirits are quiteweak (and short-lived), but a few endure by gatheringEssence from other dreamers who feed their Image (see p.16), and some have become powerful in their own right.

FIGMENTSWhenever someone dreams, he animates his

dreamscape with numerous images, from thestraightforward to the ridiculous to the incompre-hensible. These images are given temporary ethereal“life,” but they are completely non-sentient, non-sapient beings who exist only to perform the roleassigned to them by the dreamer’s subconscious.From talking appliances to people the dreamerknows in the waking world to erotic Oedipal imagesto colorless green dreams that sleep furiously, andwhatever metaphors they embody, these figments arein fact a kind of dream spirit. Almost always, a fig-ment is made up of but a single Ethereal Force, andthey never have any Celestial Forces (if such a spiritdoes gain a Celestial Force, it ceases to be a figment,and becomes a true ethereal; see below). Figmentscan behave quite intelligently – even more intelli-gently than the dreamer. They are Symphonicallyaware (albeit unlikely to perceive much with a 0Perception), but they cannot voluntarily transferEssence to others. They could theoretically acquireaffinities and Songs. But they have no self-awareness,and will vanish when the dreamscape does.

Usually.Every once in a while, when a dreamer has an extreme-

ly vivid dream (particularly when he blows all his Essence),one of the figments from his dream will detach itself fromthe dreamscape and remain in the Marches after thedreamer awakens. These figments wander about doingwhatever fits their Image, often stepping into other dream-scapes, oblivious to their origins. Most of the time, they arequickly devoured by other ethereals, since a spirit with noCelestial Forces is safe and easy prey (see Dream-Eating, p.17). Occasionally, a lucky figment will actually grow inpower and accumulate more Forces – making it that muchbetter a meal when it’s finally caught. And very occasional-ly, a figment will survive long enough to gain a CelestialForce. This makes it a true, self-aware ethereal spirit.While it still might be eaten, even 1 Celestial Force makesa spirit capable of fighting back . . . and since ethereals arehighly averse to losing Forces, many predators will avoideven a puny spirit, in favor of much safer figments.

Figments usually fall into one of the following categories:

Background AnimationsAnimated fragments appear in the background of a

dream, rarely noticed. They may be random passersby ona city street, or a band of penguins playing jazz, or trees74


GOD-CREATION MADE SIMPLEWhat makes a dreamed figment survive past the dream that cre-

ated it, and what makes a figment become self aware (see below) isineffable. A lucid dreamer could create figments and attempt toeject them from his dreamscape all night. While the laws of prob-ability suggest this would eventually work, only the GM decides ifany of them will persist, or if the dreamer is courting anIntervention with all those Dreaming rolls. (Even the Song of Life(Liber Canticorum, p. 91) requires luck, or a lot of Essence, for thecreated spirit to last more than a few days.)

Should a figment actually persist, there’s no guarantee that it willbecome sapient, and even less that it’ll be friendly to its creator.With self-will comes the ability for choice, and a spirit might notlike its original Image! Nevertheless, some lesser gods of tribalsocieties claim that they were born of an ambitious shaman’s needfor a god to serve; such loyalty to a people would only persistamong spirits who incorporate Society (Tribe) strands, who areunlikely to tolerate too much selfish ambition in their chosen ser-vants . . . Creating gods is a risky business.

growing from the sky and throwing baseballs at thedreamer. They do the same thing over and over again, andif they escape their original dreamscape, they just contin-ue doing the same thing until they’re noticed and/orsomehow expand to take on a greater role. Backgroundanimations, almost without exception, are 1 EtherealForce figments.

Foreground FigmentsThese figments usually have a bit more personality, as

they interact directly with the dreamer – the pretty girlwho flirts with you, the tiger who chases you, the smok-ing alarm clock that jumps on your stomach to wake youup, or the giant butterfly that quotes Ayn Rand and sym-bolizes your repressed childhood. A background anima-tion (above) can be compared to a fairly simple comput-er program, running in an endless loop. A foregroundfigment has a more sophisticated “algorithm,” and mighteven pass as an autonomous entity – briefly. Most areonly 1 Ethereal Force, but a rare one might manifestwith a second Force (either Corporeal or Ethereal).

Central CharactersA figment that is the focus of a dream, and thus takes

on a major role, is the most likely sort to break free (andeventually, become an autonomous being). The vastmajority are still 1-Force spirits, but some might start outwith as many as 3 Forces (but still no Celestial Forces).They may be family members or other important figuresin the dreamer’s life, or the man-eating car that stalks andterrorizes him all night. These figments are comparableto an artificial intelligence routine; stillnot truly free willed, but smart enoughto fake it.

AUTONOMOUSDREAM SPIRITS

Once a figment gains a CelestialForce, it becomes an independent, self-aware being. It may not immediatelyrealize that its nature has changed;most dream spirits continue acting outthe roles given to them in their “birth-dream” for a long time. (And most newdream spirits aren’t that smart to beginwith.) But any entity who acquires aCelestial Force has the ability to actindependently, even to violate its natureand pursue different agendas. The most

willful, intelligent, and lucky of escaped figments becomeautonomous spirits.

A former figment can be absolutely anything that canappear in a dreamscape. The more “rational” the spirit,the greater the likelihood that it will be able to interactmeaningfully with other spirits, and increase its ownpower. Talking bears who play racquetball, singing furni-ture, and animated cigarette packs are all pretty normalby ethereal standards. But psychopathic inverted kid-neys, invisible Mysterians who can only communicate incolors, and black holes who sing the blues probably won’tsurvive long unless they find a very unusual Domainwhere they can fit in.

Each of these spirits is unique. Another dreamer mightdream something like them, which is why there’s morethan one racquetball-playing bear or talking cigarettepack in the Marches. However, if an autonomous spirit isdestroyed, it’s gone. If a new one appears, it’s a coinci-dental similarity from another dream.

GESTALT DREAM SPIRITSAutonomous dream spirits are born in the mind of a sin-

gle dreamer. Gestalt dream spirits are born in the strangesynergy between an escaped figment and the ambientbelief (p. 15) of many dreamers. Dream images that arevery common might pop up every night as figments inthousands of dreamscapes; there are probably millions ofQueen Elizabeth figments for every one that escapes intothe Marches to become a true Queen Elizabeth spirit.

Because gestalt spirits can benefit from ambient belief, they tend to be stronger and more likely to survivethan autonomous spirits. However, they’re in vicious


GENII LOCORUMA genius loci is a type of gestalt spirit, born of the love or ideal of a

place. Most of them have a strand of City in them, or Nations, and theyare created with a mask that ties them to their place and makes themwant to protect it. Some assume an Image of a dead hero and walk thestreets, while others take on a composite appearance. The genius lociknown as Uncle Sam is one of the most powerful of these spirits, andBritannia, though less open about it, has shown similar potency.Smaller genii locorum may be called lares and penates, spirits of homeand fields, and have elements of Home or Family instead.

Genii locorum are almost always hostile or indifferent to celestials,wanting only to protect “their” place and the people who live there.Twisted ones (e.g., a spirit of Fear and Cities) will stifle humans, or usethem for sport. More noble ones might accept angelic assistance inremoving a demonic threat, but are rarely inclined to offer alliances.

competition with others who have the same Image (unlessthey form a tribe; see p. 17). Functionally, a gestalt spiritisn’t much different from an autonomous spirit. The dif-ference is that when a gestalt spirit is destroyed, a new onewill probably replace it, and the replacement sometimeseven duplicates the memories and abilities of previousincarnations! This makes it very difficult for celestials andother ethereals to keep track of which “version” of a spir-it is being encountered, or how many versions there havebeen.

CREATING A DREAM SPIRITFigments don’t make very good player characters, since

they are weak, non-sapient, completely lacking inCelestial Forces, and unable to travel to the corporealplane. However, a dream spirit who started out as a fig-ment can make a fine PC. With dream spirits, Image is themost important attribute, so decide on this first. The ele-ments that draw together to form a dream spirit are morerandom – it’s easiest to choose appropriate affinities andthen assign compatible elements accordingly. New dreamspirits have rarely learned any Songs. The Songs ofDreams and the Celestial Song of Draining are excep-tions, as dream spirits have a knack for acquiring thesenaturally.

Autonomous dream spirits offer the greatest individual-ity, since they can be literally anything. However, they arethe least likely to receive any Essence from ambient belief(p. 15). A gestalt spirit can be fun to play, especially as asatire, since you can pick any figure from popular cultureor history. However, such spirits should closely resemblewhomever they are imitating, at least initially; the moreindividuality a gestalt spirit develops, the more its Imagediverges from the original, making it less likely to receiveEssence from the beliefs of fans, devotees, and devotedenemies.

SAMPLE FIGMENT: MANNY

Escaped Foreground AnimationCorporeal Forces - 0 Strength 0 Agility 0Ethereal Forces - 1 Intelligence 2 Precision 2Celestial Forces - 0 Will 0 Perception 0

Element: AnimalsAffinities: Hunger (Slight)Manny is a talking chihuahua, much like the mascot of

a popular fast-food chain, seen on TV commercialsworldwide. In the dreams of the person who created him,Manny was also a chain-smoking, tequila-guzzling little mongrel with a filthy mouth. Besides speaking in a

grossly exaggerated Mexican accent (Manny’s Spanish islimited because the dreamer didn’t speak Spanish), everythird word out of the chihuahua’s mouth is an obscenity.He’s a trivial spirit, but he escaped his original dream-scape, and for the time being he’s trotting around theMarches swearing at anyone he meets. He’s too weak andtoo obnoxious to survive long, but he’s clever enough tohave slipped into several other dreamscapes and offend-ed the dreamers with his vocabulary, while making themwake up with a craving for greasy tacos.

(Manny can be an amusingly annoying encounter in theMarches. He’s unlikely to ever become a true dream spirit, butif he does, he could continue to shill for his restaurant, take onadditional obnoxious ethnic stereotypes, or develop in a com-pletely unanticipated manner.)

SAMPLE DREAM SPIRIT:MARYGOLD

Autonomous SpiritCorporeal Forces - 1 Strength 1 Agility 3Ethereal Forces - 2 Intelligence 4Precision 4Celestial Forces - 3 Will 7 Perception 5

Elements: Plants, Moon, FearAffinities: Fear (Moderate), Motherhood (Moderate)Skills: Detect Lies/1, Emote/2Songs: Attraction (Ethereal/2), Draining (Celestial/2),

Dreams (Ethereal/2, Celestial/1), Harmony (Ethereal/3),Healing (Ethereal/1)

Marygold was the result of a single woman eating toomuch pepperoni pizza late at night, after getting off thephone from another “When am I going to have grandchil-dren?” speech from her mother. The woman (who had amild phobia of flowers) dreamed about a giant anthropo-morphic sunflower who had come to take her childrenaway because she was a bad mother. As the dreamer kickedand screamed, the sunflower proceeded to open its gapingmaw, lined with sharp teeth, and swallow her childrenwhole.

The dreamer woke up shaken and sweating, then chuck-led at the absurdity of the dream and blamed it on hermother’s nagging. But the sunflower had escaped into theMarches.

Marygold has strong mothering instincts, combined witha predatory disposition that makes her far less pretty thanher Image. She invades dreamscapes and generates fearsabout the dreamer’s children. (It’s appropriate to assign thedreamer penalties if he actually has children, so Marygoldtargets real parents when possible.) Marygold becomesquite attached to these dream-children, and honestly76


believes she is rescuing them from bad parents, eventhough in many cases, she conjures the children and thedangers that threaten them. By human standards,Marygold is quite insane, but she behaves entirely rational-ly according to her strands.

So far, it hasn’t occurred to Marygold to look for childrento protect on the corporeal plane, but it won’t be longbefore she does, and then she’ll probably create a humanfemale vessel and start “rescuing” children from “bad” par-ents who don’t deserve them.

(Marygold might easily be mistaken for an innocuous, benevo-lent dream spirit at first; what could be harmful about a talkingflower who loves children? She has not been initiated, and is deluded enough to believe that she is benevolent. If demons of Nightmares discover her, they just might decide to let her bloom . . .)

SAMPLE DREAM SPIRIT: SANTA CLAUS

Gestalt SpiritCorporeal Forces - 2 Strength 5 Agility 3Ethereal Forces - 2 Intelligence 6 Precision 2Celestial Forces - 2 Will 4 Perception 4

Elements: Toys (a subset of Wealth, p. 42), Children,Happiness

Affinities: NoneVessels: Human/6, Charisma +1 (jolly old man – Essence

cost: 540)Role: Janitor/2, Status/1 (Marty Lapowski, Polish immi-

grant)Skills: Acrobatics/1, Artistry/2 (Toymaking),

Climbing/2, Detect Lies/2, Emote/1,Escape/1, Move Silently/2, Survival(Marches/2)

Songs: Dreams (Corporeal/1,Ethereal/2), Form (Ethereal/3), Light(Ethereal/1), Motion (Corporeal/2,Celestial/1)

There are lots of Santas in the Marches.Most of them don’t live long. One did, becausehe realized that his Image made him nothingmore than bait on the ethereal plane, and the onlyway to survive would be to get out of the Marches andbecome invisible. He came to Earth about 100 years ago,and has lived the quiet life of a poor custodian ever since.

It’s not that “Marty” wouldn’t like to become wealthierand enjoy all the good things that a higher-Status Role canprovide. He’s just too afraid of attracting notice. He has allthe essential elements of a real Santa Claus – the dreams

that created him were quite detailed. But he lacks anyaffinity for his Image; he knows what he is, but he has noreal desire to ride a magic sleigh pulled by flying reindeer,or to give toys to good little children, or to do anythingelse that will paint him as a target. He likes children well

enough, but he likes his own existence more.Thus, for nearly a century he’s avoided doing any-

thing that would characterize him as Santa and possi-bly betray his true nature. But he’s getting awfullybored, and awfully tired of a janitor’s wages. He has

supernatural powers which could surely be usedto his advantage . . . if only he could be sure thatusing them won’t attract angels, demons, orpredatory ethereals.

(This secret Santa is a balanced starting charac-ter who has deliberately chosen not to go throughInitiation. If he can muster the courage to do some-

thing besides merely living, he can take any number of activeroles in a campaign. Depending on his encounters with others,he might become a force for good, or a selfish spirit pursuing hisown agenda.) 77


ETHEREAL TAXONOMY ANDINCONSISTENCY

Look at the sample characters in this chapter, and it mayoccur to you that some of them fit in more than one catego-ry. For example, Manny the Chihuahua (p. 76) has only oneelemental strand; doesn’t that mean that technically he’s aprimal spirit? Santa Claus (on this page) is described as agestalt dream spirit, but isn’t Santa also a creature of mythol-ogy? And since his nature is very much set by his elements(however much this particular Santa may wish otherwise)couldn’t he be considered an elemental as well?

Sure. It’s not at all unlikely that an ethereal can fit in sev-eral different categories, and many spirits go through differ-ent phases during their existence. Manny (if he somehowsurvives) could “grow up” to become a primal animal spirit,then an icon of modern myth, and even a pagan god of fast-food consumer culture . . . if he actually attracts worshipers.

It’s worth emphasizing again: the spirit types in this chapterare simply descriptive labels, not absolute categories. Describingan ethereal as a “gestalt dream spirit” or an “elemental” is notlike describing a celestial as a Seraph or a Djinn. The cate-gories are not fixed; the labels are not absolute. If you thinkof a character concept that isn’t neatly described by any ofthese spirit types, don’t worry about it; just create the char-acter.

CreatureS of Myth and Legend

Some beings are so prevalent in the collective con-sciousness that they arise independently in the Marches.And, argue the ethereals, sometimes the cause and effectis reversed; certain spirits existed before humans dreamedthem, and popular belief only made them stronger. Somewere spawned in the days before Uriel’s crusade, whenethereals manifested on Earth more often, assuming theImage and corporeal form of humanity’s myths. Some

interbred with corporeal beings, human or animal (andthe odd plant), creating half-breeds who were not ethe-reals, but whose appearance could generate spiritsdreamed in their image.

The difference between a “mythical” being and agestalt dream spirit (p. 75) is that the latter begins life asa figment in a single dreamscape, then becomes strongerbecause of ambient belief, whereas creatures of mythwere born in the Marches without needing a dreamer asa “midwife.” However, the distinction can be a fine one,and spirits themselves obscure the differences. A faeriewho began life as a figment but later grew to conform topopular fairy tales may be indistinguishable from a faerie78


While anything that can be imagined can become adream spirit, some Images are too closely connected tobeliefs that touch upon the Divine or the Infernal. Thehapless spirit that assumes such an Image is doomed fromthe moment of its creation.

This definitely includes angels and demons. Peopledream of angels and demons all the time, of course, and adreamer’s conception often has little resemblance to thereal thing. But while an angel figment might animate adreamscape, it cannot become self-aware (i.e., gain aCelestial Force), ever – and if it should escape the dream-scape where it was spawned, it will fade almost instantly, itsEssence drawn out of it by the overwhelming power ofHeaven. Occasionally, a figment originally dreamed as anangel or demon might be so unlike an actual divine orinfernal being that it is able to persist on its own, but any-thing that pushes its Image closer to the real thing willcause its demise. Thus, one will not find ethereal Seraphimor little red devils with horns and pitchforks populating theMarches. Naturally, this also means that there are no ethe-real Satans or Archangel Michaels or anything else resem-bling a Superior, much less any ethereals in the Image ofJehovah!

Angels claim that this is proof of the supremacy of Godand the qualitatively different nature of celestials. Etherealsclaim it’s just a restriction imposed by the forces that havecurrently gained control over the Symphony.

Some humans have been so closely and ineffably tied toa divine religion (see the Game Master’s Guide, p. 66) thatthey also are “excluded” as ethereal spirits. Jesus,Muhammad, and the Buddha fall into this category, as doesthe Virgin Mary. (Other notable and revered religious figures, such as Moses, many Catholic saints, and

Muhammad’s wives and daughters, might also be “off-lim-its,” but such decisions are left up to the GM.) Peopledream about such figures often, but aside from temporaryfigments, none can become true spirits.

This doesn’t mean that a spirit cannot take on the appear-ance of such beings, of course. On the ethereal plane, any-one can assume any guise (see p. 92), so an ethereal canappear to someone in a dream and deliberately make itselflook like Jesus . . . or Lucifer. But if its true Image is evenremotely similar to a holy or infernal entity, it will melt likean ice cube in hot chocolate.

DragonsUriel’s Servitors killed all the dragons. They killed them

physically, on Earth, and they hunted the last dragon toextinction in the Marches, and none have been seen since.(Though there are always rumors . . .)

No dragon-figments survive outside their originatingdreamscapes. Ethereals can adopt a draconic guise, but iftheir Image becomes too dragon-like, they fade with amaz-ing speed. Dragons, for some reason, have become pro-scribed by the Symphony, and no one knows why. Populartheories include: dragons were originally divine (or infer-nal), but for rebelling against God were punished withextinction; there is a powerful dragon-god (or collection ofdraconic deities) hiding in the Far Marches, capable ofannihilating any who assume the dragon Image at a dis-tance; God (or Uriel, or the Seraphim Council) decideddragons were just too dangerous and powerful to live, andexercised some unknown power to prevent any fromreturning; Uriel’s Servitors were very, very thorough, andHeaven has remained so vigilant that no dragons have beenseen since.

IMPOSSIBLE IMAGES – THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE

who coalesced out of the Essence of popular belief infairy tales. And some creatures of myth were “born” in adreamscape, but began life fully-formed as autonomousspirits, not soulless figments, and simply stepped out ofthe dream that gave them life.

These spirits are identifiable by their popular Image,which may vary significantly from the archetype, butalways shares enough features in common to be identifi-able. Some Santas are jolly old elves, others are maliciouspranksters, but they cannot escape conforming to thepublic’s conception of them to some degree.

CREATING CREATURES OFMYTH

Like dream spirits, a creature of myth is largely definedby its Image, but its elements also play a strong role in itspersonality. Mermaids inevitably have a strand of Sea inthem, while fox spirits always seem to have a touch ofMoon. Elements and affinities need to be selected care-fully – which is not to say that some spirits of myth aren’tatypical. (There are a myriad of traditional interpreta-tions of Merlin, to say nothing of non-traditional ones.)These spirits don’t have to acquire Songs that enhancetheir traditional abilities, but they often do.

CLASSICAL MYTHS ANDLEGENDS

Creatures of classical mythology are the most numer-ous, even after the Purity Crusade, because they’ve hadthousands of years to imbed themselves in the collectivedreams of mankind. Uriel’s crusade swept most of themoff the Earth, and wiped out many who fled to theMarches, but even the zealous Archangel of Puritycouldn’t get them all . . . nor could he prevent humanity’sdreams from bringing back unicorns, faeries, ghosts andgoblins, wyverns and rocs, and other creatures of mythand legend. Of course, all of these beings are much rarernow, very wary of manifesting on Earth, and almostnever dare to do so in their true form. But they endure.

SAMPLE SPIRIT: THE KRAKEN

Creature of MythCorporeal Forces - 4 Strength 12 Agility 4Ethereal Forces - 4 Intelligence 12 Precision 4Celestial Forces - 4 Will 12 Perception 4

Element: Sea

Affinities: Hunger (Primal), Weather (Strong),Drowning (Moderate), Fear (Slight)

Skills: Fighting/6, Swimming/6Songs: Dreams (all/4), Entropy (Ethereal/2,

Celestial/2), Form (Corporeal/6), Plates/6, Projection(Ethereal/6), Storms (Corporeal/5)

Dread: Sunlight/4The kraken had lived in the depths of the ocean longer

than humanity’s ancestors had crawled on land. It wasborn of primal ocean, and some say it took corporealform before the angels learned to do the same thing. Thekraken slumbered at the bottom of the sea, visited theMarches and saw what humans dreamed of the sea, andits Image altered slowly, over eons.

Then came Uriel’s Crusade. Angels of Purity trackedthe kraken to its corporeal vessel at the bottom of theocean, and they slew it. The Trauma itself lasted only afew weeks, but the beast, accustomed to thinking and act-ing over periods of years, took a long, long time toregroup itself. Now it is aware again, in the oceans of theethereal plane. It seeks to go back to Earth, but it willtake a long time for it to accumulate enough Essence toreform its enormous vessel. It is a vast and alien being,cunning and mighty. It has learned that angels, howeversmall they appear, are not to be trifled with; it knows thatdemons would only use it. It thus avoids celestials – andhumans for the most part, though it will certainly devourany lone dreamer it encounters in the Far Marches. Thekraken does not communicate in any conventional man-ner, but it is not just a big dumb animal; it is an ancient,primal force.

(The kraken is a nearly godlike spirit; as such, it doesn’t fol-low all the normal rules of character creation. For instance, itsprimal Hunger affinity does not match its Sea strand. Whenthe kraken fills its Essence cache, it can reform a vessel, at a costof 1,200 Essence! Its corporeal form should be all but unkill-able; give it enough Protection and Body hits to ignore conven-tional weapons. It took a whole host of Uriel’s angels to destroyit, and they brought powerful relics. Fortunately, the krakenprefers the sea bottom, and could disappear for another thou-sand years without being seen . . . except in sailors’ dreams.) 79


Good things of day begin to droopand drowse, While night’s blackagents to their preys do rouse.

– Shakespeare, Macbeth

MODERN POP ICONSIt takes a lot of belief to create a legend, and few enti-

ties of recent vintage qualify. The latest hot movie idol,or an infamous and globally-despised dictator, mightgenerate more Essence in raw numbers than Gilgameshor Galahad, particularly given the increase in the worldpopulation. But a temporary surge in Essence will onlycreate a temporary surge in ethereals . . . once theirImage has been forgotten in the mortal world, most ofthem will fade. So Attila the Hun, Robin Hood, andMulan endure the generational “fads” that flood theMarches with Cromwells, Nobunagas, BenjaminFranklins, and Dudley Moores. The spirits who arestrong and plentiful now aren’t necessarily the ones whowill have staying power.

But in the meantime, pop icons are avoided by olderethereals, because they’re strong and aggressive duringtheir 15 minutes of fame . . . and they lack manners.Pegasi and gaki, King Arthur and Cleopatra, look uponyoung mutant combat animals and puppet monsters,Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, with the same disdainand veiled envy with which “old money” looked upondot.com billionaires.

SAMPLE SPIRIT: ELVIS

Pop IconCorporeal Forces - 1 Strength 2 Agility 2Ethereal Forces - 2 Intelligence 3 Precision 5Celestial Forces - 3 Will 5 Perception 7

Elements: Sun, MusicAffinities: Glamour (Moderate)Vessel: Human/1, Charisma +1, Sex Appeal +2 (young

Elvis – Essence cost: 110)Skills: Area Knowledge/1 (Marches), Artistry/1

(Songwriting), Dancing/3, Emote/5, Singing/3Songs: Form (Ethereal/2, Celestial/2), Nimbus

(Ethereal/2)This spirit has something most ethereal Elvises don’t;

real talent combined with originality. He writes his ownsongs! (They aren’t very good yet, but he’ll improve.)Meanwhile, his performing ability is approaching (somemight even say exceeding) that of his namesake.

This particular Elvis has a problem. There is a tribe ofElvises already (see p. 17), and they don’t like competi-tion. The spirit was given the opportunity to join thetribe, but declined; those poseurs weren’t real singers likehe was! (And they didn’t appreciate his originality; Elvisshould sing “Jailhouse Rock” or “Love Me Tender” –new tunes by definition can’t be Elvis.)

Elvis formed a vessel and fled to Earth. He looks exact-ly like a young, handsome Elvis Presley. He’s been trav-eling around, getting minor gigs at bars and nightclubs asan “Elvis impersonator” – and creating no few Elvissightings – but both celestials and (he suspects) his rivalson the ethereal plane are on his trail. The spirit has real-ized there’s only one way he can secure his status as theOne True Elvis: he’s headed for Graceland!

(This spirit is a balanced starting character who has not yetInitiated. He’s probably best in a light-hearted game or for ahumorous encounter, though if he survives, he may prove sur-prisingly durable. What if Elvis actually finds the makings ofan ethereal Tether at Graceland, and asserts himself as the Godof Rock and Roll . . . ?)


“INANIMATE” IMAGESSome spirits have the appearance of items: singing

swords, living garden hoses, weeping willows, or actualmountains. If they choose a vessel to duplicate their Image(and have the appropriate affinity to do so), then they willbe restricted somewhat. Bendable objects can bend, andhinged ones can open and close, but stiff, inflexible itemswill just lie there unless the spirit knows a Song to grantitself limbs or motion.

In the Marches, of course, they are not necessarily so lim-ited. A sword-spirit might float about on its own, pickingfights, while a tree could walk on its roots, and a living cig-arette might crawl around like an inchworm. GMs shouldprevent flagrant abuses of this, of course; a self-motivatedsword can still be hurt, even if it’s fighting with its ownblade!

Weapon ImagesSpirits who use themselves to fight use Fighting skill.

If they take an affinity which would allow them to affecta weapon, they may affect themselves in the Marches orif they have a weapon-vessel. The Game Master isencouraged to let affinities (but not skills) “stack” – if theweapon-spirit is used by a fighting-spirit, they can beextremely puissant! (If the weapon or the wielder is anNPC, it must be bought as a Servant if this situation isto continue long. If both are player characters, then theGM may well try to test the partnership – or simply rulethe combination abusive and forbid cumulative affinityeffects after all.)

Pagan GodSOnce, the old gods were strong, with temples dotting

landscapes around the word. Essence flowed to them likerivers, and they walked openly on the Earth. Angels, ifthe gods were aware of them at all, were a distant pres-ence that only rarely intervened in their affairs.

Then an obscure Semitic tribe became infected withthe “monotheism disease” (as the gods contemptuouslycalled it), and within a few centuries, Yahweh-worshipwas eclipsing many of the Middle Eastern deities.Nowadays, some of the gods (with the typical impreciseand selective memory of ethereals) describe it as a suddenassault on their worshipers that left them stunned andweakened, but it was actually a process that took almost3,000 years. During that time, some gods declined, butothers arose and remained strong right up until thePurity Crusade. It was Uriel’s campaign in the 8th cen-tury that broke or banished the surviving gods.

However, not all the gods died in the Purity Crusade.Most of the survivors have lost their worshipers, theirtemples, and their Tethers, but thanks to their enduringlegends, or sheer stubbornness, they survive. Some stillreceive a trickle of Essence, and some have had theirhopes rekindled by the neo-pagan movement. Thismakes them a continuing force in the Marches, and anoccasional presence on Earth.

There are also a few gods who somehow successfullyshare their power with Archangels, such as the Hindudeities and the Loas (p. 114). They are too benevolent tobe classified as the Enemy, and too durable to be eradi-cated; Heaven grudgingly accepts their existence, andeven allies with them from time to time . . . but that does-n’t prevent Dominic and Laurence from trying to under-cut them at every opportunity.

BECOMING A GODTrue godhood requires a minimum of 9 Forces (and

very few spirits have actually achieved godlike status withso few). Assuming a spirit meets this basic requirement,all he needs to do is make his Image so strong that it is anelement in itself – a defining component of the spirit’sbeing.

This is rather like saying all one needs to do to becomea head of state is get elected.

A godlike Image is referred to as a “godhead,” andthere are two ways to get one. The first way – assumption– is very fast and very, very dangerous. The second way– transfiguration – is very slow and only very dangerous.

AssumptionAssumption is covered on p. 133; it is the process of

taking another deity’s godhood. Success means youbecome a god in one fell swoop; failure means you ceaseto exist.

TransfigurationTransfiguration requires establishing one’s Image as

synonymous with a particular concept. The concept maybe anything, but is most often one of the god’s elementsor affinities. (It’s difficult to establish oneself as a god ofsomething for which one has no affinity.)

Establishing this connection to godhood requires thata very large amount of Essence supporting the godlikeImage permeate the ethereal realm. When thousandsdreamed of Amaterasu in conjunction with her role assun-goddess, and hundreds of motes of Essence weresent to her through worship rites, she swelled in powerand was transfigured from a mere elemental sun-spirit tothe Japanese Kami of the Sun.

There are no hard mechanics to define what it takes tobecome a god. The usual way is to acquire a lot of wor-shipers and become famous throughout the corporealand ethereal realms for representing whatever you pur-port to be a god of. Only when the GM decides that aspirit’s place in the ethereal plane is sufficiently estab-

lished will he become a divinity. If Elvis (p.80) wants to become the God ofRock and Roll, he needs his Image

to not only be associated withrock and roll, but he needs to beworshiped as such. Furthermore,

he has to be the only “Elvis” soworshiped – if any other ethereal

shares his Image, the Essence ofbelief will be distributed among them

(p. 15). His godhood will not be estab-lished until all potential challengers have been

eliminated. 81E T H E R E A L B E I N G S

To achieve godhood, a spirit needsto make his Image so strong thatit is a defining component of hisbeing. This is rather like sayingthat all one needs to do to becomea head of state is get elected.

LESSER GODSAny 9-Force spirit with a godhead can claim a divine

mantle. These “lesser gods” are mighty by ethereal stan-dards, and formidable even by celestial standards, butthey come nowhere near the power of an Archangel orDemon Prince. They are created like normal characters,and they can be destroyed like normal characters. Manygods who were once far more powerful lost so manyForces during the Purity Crusade that they have beenreduced to this level; others have diminished as a resultof fading (p. 19).

Besides being much more powerful than other ethere-als, and receiving extra Essence from their believers,achieving godhood gives even the weakest deity a coupleof special abilities.

Divine AffinitiesA god can break the normal rules for primal affinities

(p. 50); any affinity that is compatible with the deity’sgodhead (GM’s option) can be raised to a primal level,even if the god embodies multiple elements.

RitesA god may devise personal Rites which he may use to

acquire Essence. These Rites should be compatible withhis nature (see the Corporeal Player’s Guide, p. 66, forsome examples). The god may also give these Rites to oth-ers, but must do so sparingly; every time someone else usesa god’s Rite, the Essence comes directly from the god.

There are no rules for how many Rites a single deity canhave, but the list shouldn’t be too long. For PC deities, theGM can control rampant creation of Rites by charging 3character points each.

Gods also create worship rites (p. 15), but one does notneed to be a god to do so.

GREATER GODSThe most powerful gods can transcend the

limits of normal beings, much as Superiors do –albeit on a smaller scale. “Greater gods” havepowers beyond the scope of angels and demons;the most powerful of them are unquantifiable.Very few are left – the Purity Crusade destroyedor reduced most of them. Continuing persecu-tion by Heaven and Hell, and a decline in wor-ship, took care of the rest.

The GM can give these most powerful ofethereal spirits any abilities he likes, but severalare common to all of them.

AttunementsOnly the most powerful deities can grant attunements.

The Ethereal Connection Attunement (p. 63) is howthey create Dream Soldiers, while the Seneschal attune-ment (Liber Castellorum, p. 24) allows their Tethers tobe defended – and it’s suspected that they can makeSongmasters (Liber Canticorum, p. 25), too. But somegreater gods have Servitor Attunements of their own,which they give to their most devoted followers.

Create DomainsAny spirit can theoretically assert control over an ethe-

real Domain (p. 103), but greater gods can create Domains.The god is automatically the master of the new Domain,until such time as someone else usurps the position.

Ethereal TethersThere aren’t many ethereal Tethers left; most were

destroyed during the Purity Crusade, their physical locirazed and their connections to the ethereal plane broken.The few that remained became weaker and weaker with-out worship, or without a god to sustain them, and theyfaded.

But a few remain. Only a greater god who possesses aDomain can stabilize an ethereal Tether and claim it forhis own. The few that are left are usually weak and hid-den in remote places, and their owners can spare littleenergy to defend them. However, even a weak Tetherprovides significant extra Essence (see p. 16), so the godwho has one treasures it.

CREATING A GODIt’s not recommended that any player character start

out as a god, and the GM may regard PC deities as82E T H E R E A L B E I N G S

IMAGE AND DREAM-SHADESRarely, someone will become a dream-shade and discover

that his life has spawned ethereals with his Image. (Indeed,some trickster gods claim that the leader of the tribe of Elvisis Elvis!) However, no one has discovered whether a dream-shade’s existence would prevent an ethereal’s attempt attransfiguration or the creation of worship rites. The fewtimes it’s happened, the spirit has – allegedly – attemptedassumption combat with the human soul, and the survivorclaimed to be the ethereal . . .

beyond the scope of the campaign. If a PC does want tobecome a god, the quest should be long, exceedingly dif-ficult, and with numerous rivals and opponents to over-come. Achieving godhood is the ethereal equivalent ofgaining a Word and a high Distinction at the same time,and the difficulty should be comparable. (If the GM doeswish to have a PC god or gods, this could be the basis forthe entire campaign . . .)

Lesser gods are built like other ethereals, with a mini-mum of 9 Forces. They have very strong Images, andusually many affinities and Songs. Greater gods can bequantified if the GM so chooses (most should be in the15-18 Force range), but he’s also justified in treatingthem like celestial Superiors, and not bothering to makea character sheet for them. Even the most powerful godsare no match for an Archangel or Demon Prince, butsome of them are powerful enough that from the per-spective of an ordinary ethereal or celestial, the differ-ence is irrelevant.

SAMPLE LESSER GODDESS:CERIDWYN

The Bright LadyCorporeal Forces - 3 Strength 5 Agility 7Ethereal Forces - 5 Intelligence 10 Precision 10Celestial Forces - 5 Will 8 Perception 12

Elements: Light, Moon, FemininityAffinities: Light (Primal), Luck (Strong), Glamour

(Moderate), Motherhood (Moderate), Fertility (Slight),Love (Slight)

Vessel: Human/6, Charisma +3 (female – Essence cost:720), Human/2 (female – Essence cost: 150), Owl/3(Essence cost: 90)

Skills: Area Knowledge (Marches/4), Dancing/2,Emote/1, Escape/3, Knowledge (Neo-Pagans/4, CelticTraditions/2), Languages (English/3*, Welsh/2), MoveSilently/5, Seduction/2, Singing/2, Survival (Marches/4)

Songs: Attraction (Ethereal/2), Charm (Ethereal/3),Dreams (Corporeal/4), Entropy (Corporeal/1), Form(Ethereal/6, Celestial/3), Light (all/6), Spirit Speech(all/5)

Dread: Darkness/2 (This Dread remains from the timewhen she was a mere spirit of Light, before she became agoddess.)

Personal Rites: Light a bonfire beneath a full moon; Shedlight that causes evil to flee.

Worship Rites: Dance skyclad under the night sky; lightcandles to the four directions in a ritual ceremony.

Ancient pagans would find little to recognize in thisgoddess. She purports to be the original “Bright Lady”worshiped by the Celts, but she’s actually a relative new-comer, a spirit who managed to establish herself as thegoddess prayed to by modern pagans. She has carefullyresearched her followers’ expectations, and while she usu-ally contacts mortals only in dreams, a very small numberhave met the goddess personally. She uses the Songs ofSpirit Speech and Soul Links to communicate with hermost favored priests and priestesses, and has succeeded inrecruiting a few pagan Soldiers, to whom she teaches aSong on occasion. The goddess is not yet powerfulenough to grant the Ethereal Connection attunement andcreate Dream Soldiers. Her current goal is to establish aDomain while increasing thenumber of worshipers she has –only a small fraction of modernneo-pagans are actually per-forming rituals to Ceridwyn, andshe wants to spread her Image tomore of them.

She has three vessels for mani-festing on Earth. Her mostbeautiful vessel is for when sheappears as the Goddess, whilethe owl is for delivering morecryptic messages (often inresponse to a ritual). She has amuch plainer vessel with whichshe mingles with humans incog-nito, often infiltrating pagan cir-cles and trying to encourageworship of the Bright Lady.

Laurence and Blandine areboth aware of Ceridwyn and hergrowing following. Blandineregards her as mostly harmless –there are far more malevolentgods and spirits for theArchangel of Dreams to worryabout. Laurence is not pleasedby the resurgence of paganism,and his angels would certainlytry to slay her vessel if they found her on Earth. However,the principles espoused by the Bright Lady’s followers areessentially benevolent, and they do choose to follow her oftheir own free will, so while Laurence might requestgreater efforts by the Church at converting these “lostsheep” back into the fold, the Sword also does not regardopposition to Ceridwyn as a high priority. Should sheascend to the status of a greater goddess, Laurence mightreevaluate the situation. 83


(Ceridwyn would make a good minorpatron for lesser ethereals or pagan humans.She’s basically friendly and benevolent,though selfish – she’ll aid and protect herfollowers to the extent she is able, withoutrisking her own safety. She could also be aminor thorn in the side of angels anddemons – she’ll avoid direct confrontationwith celestials, but her followers might hin-der the plans of either side.)

SAMPLE GREATERGOD: ODIN

The All-FatherI hung on a tree forty days, a sacrifice,

myself to myself.– Odin, “the Elder (Poetic) Edda”

Even a thousand years after his hey-day, Odin remains the chief deity of theNorse pantheon. Ancient Germanictribes called him Woden and Wotan, but the Vikings didthe most to strengthen him, and Viking legends (romanti-cized all the way up through the Victorian period and intothe present day) kept his Image strong.

The Purity Crusade weakened the Norse gods, butthey survived better than many other pantheons, thanksto Odin One-Eye. (See The Marches, pp. 96-97.) Odinavoids conflict with celestials, not wanting the Aesir to befurther weakened by clashes with Heaven, but knowingthat Hell is not to be trusted either. Instead, he marshalsthe few resources he has left, and keeps his eye on thecorporeal plane and any opportunities that might arisethere.

No In Nomine characteristics are given here for Odin.He’s more powerful than anyone else he’s likely to meetexcept a Superior. It’s safe to assume that Odin will prevailin any direct confrontation against small groups of ethere-als and celestials, but he’s not so powerful that a host ofangels or horde of demons would pose no threat to him.Odin provokes battles, but he rarely engages in them him-self, so he’s not likely to stand still in a slugfest. Instead, hewill use his vast repertoire of affinities and Songs to con-fuse and evade enemies. He much prefers to work throughintermediaries, but he will sometimes deal with celestials,if they have something to offer. Odin is capable of creat-ing Dream Soldiers (p. 122), and he’s even rumored tohave a few Tethers left.

(As one of the most powerful of the surviving pagan gods,Odin could be a major patron – or opponent – in an etherealcampaign. He can appear as an ally or enemy of ethereals, celes-tials, and humans alike. It’s recommended that he, and othergods like him, not be explicitly quantified. Like Superiors, thegreatest gods do have limits on their powers, but player charac-ters should never be certain what those limits are.)

Odin’s Servitor AttunementsOdin, as one of the most powerful survivors of the

Purity Crusade, may grant attunements to worshipersand allies. Those listed below can be used as exampleswhen making up new attunements for him or othergreater gods.84


WYRDWhile not an attunement that a character can use, a Wyrd may be

imposed upon characters by Odin. A Wyrd is a combination of fate anddestiny; those who have one are destined to do great things, but oftendie tragically after seeing everyone around them suffer.

Odin can place a Wyrd upon anyone; mortal, ethereal, or celestial.In ethereals and celestials, it takes the form of a Discord, and can beremoved by a Superior. The Divine Destiny and Fated Future attune-ments can both detect Wyrds (on anyone), but it’s unknown whethereven Yves or Kronos can remove one from a mortal.

Someone with a Wyrd receives a +1 bonus to all non-social skillrolls, including combat ones. (This bonus does not apply to reso-nances, Songs, or affinities.) However, he also receives a -1 penalty toany social interaction, including reaction rolls and the use of DetectLies, Emote, Fast-Talk, Lying, Savoir-Faire, and Seduction. (Again,this penalty does not apply to resonances, Songs, or affinities.)

A Wyrd has no character point cost; Odin grants them for his ownreasons, and never on request. He either cannot or does not give oth-ers the ability to place Wyrds.

Even the most powerful deitycould be brought down byenough Malakim, but a pantheon standing togethermight balk anything but adirect assault by Superiors.

Ill WordsWhile Odin isn’t quite the troublemaker he once was,

he still has a reputation for stirring up feuds and lyinglike a Balseraph. Nowadays, he only grants this attune-ment to other ethereals, and usually only to close allies.Loki is known to possess it, and may or may not be ableto grant it to others.

Ill Words can be spoken to bad-mouth another person,object, or idea. Everyone who hears them must make aWill roll; failure means the listener must make a newReaction roll (In Nomine, p. 44) toward the subject, at apenalty equal to the speaker’s Ethereal Forces. Anyonewho makes his Will roll makes a new reaction roll towardthe speaker, at the same penalty.

Cost: 10 points.

One-EyeOdin plucked out his own eye as a sacrifice to Mimir,

the well of knowledge. In exchange, he received wisdomand foresight. He offers a similar bargain to select follow-ers; to receive this attunement, the recipient must pluckout an eye! (This may require a Will roll.) For etherealsand celestials, this has an effect similar to Discord; any ves-sels or hosts will be missing an eye, as will celestial forms.For an ethereal, the missing eye will become part of itsImage (though like anything else, this can be disguisedwith Dream-Shaping). There are no defined game effectsfor losing an eye, though a penalty to Perception or skillrolls whenever depth perception comes into play would beappropriate.

In exchange for losing the eye, the recipient may attunehimself to a number of other creatures equal to hisEthereal Forces. It only takes a touch to attune, but thesubject cannot be unwilling. (The subject doesn’t have tobe willing either – a non-sentient or unsuspecting targetcan be used, but if someone later becomes aware of theattunement and doesn’t desire it, it will disappear.) Eachattunement lasts until either the One-Eyed one or thesubject dispels it.

One-Eye grants sight through the eyes of any creatureto whom the character is attuned. The One-Eyed charac-ter can see through the eyes of all his subjects simultane-ously, even on different planes, as well as through his ownremaining eye, without confusion.

It is rumored that Odin himself is attuned to everyonewho accepts this attunement. Celestial Superiors willobviously not be pleased with a One-Eyed Servitor. Sincethe attunement manifests in celestials as a sort of Discord,a Superior can easily see and remove it, and probably will– quite possibly without restoring the eye.

Cost: 5 points, and the loss of an eye. 85E T H E R E A L B E I N G S

PANTHEONSIn the old days, gods usually banded together

because they had a common pool of worshipers.While individual deities might have little in common(and in fact, might be deadly rivals), they had a com-mon interest in keeping their worshipers from suc-cumbing to the “monotheism disease,” or frombeing lured into the service of foreign gods. Keep inmind also that, contrary to a common fantasy trope,pagans usually did not worship a single god in theirpantheon exclusively. The average Greek would prayto Zeus if he wanted enlightenment (or rain),Aphrodite for help with romance, Ares for good for-tune in battle, and Poseidon for a safe sea voyage.The Greeks believed in (and thus supplied Essenceto) all of the Olympians. Even those pagans whowere devoted to a single deity would probablybelieve in other gods in the pantheon, and regardthem as allies or enemies.

Another reason for gods to form pantheons, whichwas emphasized during and after the Purity Crusade,is mutual protection. Even the most powerful deitycould be brought down by enough Malakim, but apantheon standing together might balk anything buta direct assault by Superiors. The few remaininggods who actively receive worship from pagans arealmost all members of a pantheon . . . though thepantheon’s membership may have changed by neces-sity.

One option for ethereal characters, if the GM ispermitting PC deities, is a pantheon campaign. Allthe player characters are members of a pantheon,which means they should probably share some ele-ments, affinities, and/or aspects of their Image incommon. They can engage in competition for powerand worshipers while simultaneously cooperatingagainst celestials and rival ethereals. Another optionis for a newly-transfigured god to apply for member-ship in a pantheon. The advantages of mutual pro-tection are attractive enough for a young god not towant to stand alone, and gods are so weakened nowa-days that few pantheons are in a position to turnaway prospective allies. However, any pantheon willhave certain expectations of its members, and anyspirit who aspires to be one of their number will haveto prove itself, possibly by passing a number of tests,possibly by going through a period of trial and initi-ation. Other options for godling PCs are discussed inthe Options for Pantheon-Level Games box on p. 137.

86R U L E S O F T H E E T H E R E A L

RuleS of The EtherEAl

RAVENSCaadacohot knelt in prayer among the mists, and five ravens

came to land upon a tree. “I am in communion with the Lord,”he said politely. “I have no wish to speak to the spirits of thisrealm.”

One raven spoke. “He carries home a relic seized from thisland, but he has not got it home yet.”

Caadacohot did not look up. “Do you wish to stop me?”Another raven said, “But he is strong, and he has it

with him. Surely he will bring it back to Heaven.”“What good will that do him?” said the first

raven. “When he has gone halfway to theVale, a forest shall rise to bar his path;and when he steps within its borders,the plants shall wash over him andCaadacohot will be no more.”

Caadacohot looked puzzled. “Astrange prophecy. Can I not avoidthis fate?”

“Perhaps,” the raven admitted.“If when you see the forest, youstamp your foot three times, it shallsink again into the Marches; and youmay cross safely.”

Caadacohot rose, looking thoughtful.“If this is the nature of things, then Iaccept it; but I must insist that you accompa-ny me, as I sense something peculiar in thisarrangement.” He began his walk back toward theVale, and the ravens flew beside him. In good time, a forestrose before him, and he stamped his foot three times. After ashort delay, it sank into the Marches.

“You have advised me well,” he told the ravens.“It will do you no good,” answered one of the birds. “When

you have gone halfway to the Vale from here, you shall see a gateof silver and gold; and when you open it, it shall pull youthrough to the land of Never-Was, and you will never havebeen.”

Caadacohot frowned. “You may continue to advise me.”“If you do not open the gate, but use your powers to strike it to

the ground, then perhaps you shall be safe,” the raven said,sadly.

Caadacohot nodded. “If this is the nature of things, then Iaccept it. Come along.” He continued his walk toward the Vale,and in good time, came upon a gate of silver and gold; and witha clangor of Song and fist, brought it down.

Once again, you have aided me,” he said.“It will do you no good,” a raven sulked. “For when you leave

this spot, a hideous beast shall rise to confront you, and there isnothing that shall save you from its wrath.”

Caadacohot said, “Nothing at all?”

The raven shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “If youshould pull a stone from your pack and place it in my beak,” itadmitted, “and force me then to fly away, then the beast shouldrise to destroy me rather than yourself; but such behavior wouldnot suit an angel.”

Caadacohot frowned, removed his pack, and began to searchthrough it. “Why,” he said, “I do have a stone, though I do notrecall putting it there.”

“Such is the nature of things,” the raven groused, “and wemust both accept it.”

“Then so it shall be,” Caadacohot said, andforced the stone into the raven’s beak. He

waved. “Fly away. Get.”The bird fluttered awkwardly off.

The other ravens landed nearby,watching him.

“What is it?” Caadacohot wondered.

“It is a wonder like we havescarcely seen before,” a raven said.“A creature that sees a forest riseand sink, and does not think,‘Which of my companions crafted

this dream?’ A creature that seesgates of silver and gold, and batters

them down for no reason at all! And, ofcourse, a creature that gives a hard-won

relic to an agent of the enemy, simply becausesomeone dreams a stone’s shape around it.”

“Bah,” said Caadacohot. “It was only a trainingmission.”

The ethereal realm is sometimes spoken of (probablyinaccurately) as being “between” the corporeal and celes-tial realms. The ethereal plane is accessible from both thecorporeal and the celestial planes. There are Tethers fromthe ethereal plane to Earth, and one can walk straight outinto the Marches through the Tethers of Gabriel’sVolcano or Blandine and Beleth’s Towers. (Those threeethereal-to-celestial Tethers are the only ones of theirkind known – thus far. See the Liber Castellorum, p. 14.)For those who cannot pass those Tethers, the staircase (orpath) seems to go upward forever. Some spirits maintainthat they are not actually Tethers, but ethereal Domain-borders; celestials just think they have unique features,compared to Tethers which connect the corporeal andcelestial realms.

Many of the things that hold true on the celestial planealso hold true on the ethereal. Spirits who argue thatcelestials are merely empowered ethereals point out thatthe ethereal plane itself has many of the characteristics ofHeaven and Hell. 87

R U L E S O F T H E E T H E R E A L

Entering and Leavingthe MarcheS

Anyone can visit the ethereal plane. Most mortals doso every night. It takes an act of will to control one’s jour-ney, however. While ethereals and celestials have severalmeans of traveling to and from the Marches, mortals areusually only able to do so by dreaming.

TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM

Any non-mortals in corporeal form may try to forcethemselves to sleep with a Will roll (or use theirDreaming skill, p. 65). Failure means waiting 30 minutesbefore they can try again. If successful, ethereals andcelestials are transported instantly to the Marches, leav-ing their corporeal vessels behind. (Ethereals can ascendwithout leaving their bodies behind, but that methodcosts Essence; see p. 89.) Humans do likewise, but theprocess takes 30 minutes divided by the check digit oftheir roll.

Humans will enter the Marches in their personaldreamscape, which will usually materialize in the Vale ofDreams (p. 101). Celestials also appear in the Vale, angelsappearing on Blandine’s side, demons on Beleth’s.Ethereals will return to where they are anchored (p. 18).

Waking UpAnyone who entered the Marches by sleeping

may leave by waking up. A Dreaming roll (or itsdefault) will allow a dreamer to force himselfawake instantly. On a failure, ethereals andcelestials may simply try again the followinground, but humans must wait a number of min-utes equal to the check digit of the failed roll.An ethereal or celestial will awaken instantly ifhis vessel is disturbed back on Earth, even bysomething as minor as a touch (he may make aWill roll if he doesn’t want to be yanked out ofthe Marches). Humans make a Perception rollto wake up if disturbed, with whatever bonusesthe GM thinks are appropriate; some distur-bances, such as being hit or violently shaken,should automatically awaken a sleeper except inunusual circumstances. If not disturbed, anethereal or celestial vessel can remain asleep aslong as its owner wants to stay in the Marches;mortals, of course, must wake up eventually. (Ahuman who wants to prolong his dreaming maymake a Will roll when the GM deems he shouldwake up; each successful roll will extend his

slumber by check digit minutes.)

THROUGH A DREAMERAnyone who knows the Corporeal Song of Dreams, or

possesses the Dreamwalking attunement, can enter theMarches through the mind of a human dreamer.Celestials sometimes call this “ethereal hitchhiking.”The “hitchhiker” will appear in the Marches inside thesubject’s dreamscape. As with dreaming, this leaves thetraveler’s corporeal form behind. Unlike dreaming, thevisitor is anchored to the dreamscape he entered; he can-not exit that dreamscape to go wandering in theMarches. If expelled from the dreamscape (such as by thedreamer waking up), the intruder wakes up back in hiscorporeal vessel. His body can also be awakened asabove; otherwise, he remains in the dreamscape for theduration of the Song or attunement (either may be ter-minated early with a Will roll, as usual).

Kyriotates, it should be noted, may enter the Marchesvia “sleeping” as other non-humans do. They appearnext to their host’s dreamscape, and must have the appro-priate attunement or Song to enter. The human mayremain asleep or wake up, depending on how rested heis. A Shedite’s location depends on whether it willed itselfto sleep (in which case it appears next to the dreamscape)or allowed the host to sleep (in which case it is within thedreamscape).88


ENTERING DREAMSCAPESCelestials and other humans need the Corporeal Song of

Dreams or the Dreamwalking attunement (In Nomine, p. 110) toenter a human dreamscape, even if they’re already in theMarches. Otherwise, the border of a dreamscape acts as a translu-cent but impenetrable barrier.

Ethereal spirits, however, are creatures of dreams and the mind.They can penetrate this dream-barrier with a successful Precisionroll. Multiply the spirit’s Ethereal Forces times the check digit todetermine how many minutes it may remain within the human’sdreamscape. On a failed roll, it cannot attempt to enter thatdreamscape again by this method. (Once the dreamer wakes up,a spirit could try to penetrate his dreamscape the next time itappears.) A spirit can still use a Song or attunement to enter adreamscape that’s resisted its entry, though.

Note that this only works if the spirit is already in the Marches,and can make contact with the dreamscape. Entering a human’sdreamscape from the corporeal plane requires using the samemethods that celestials use.

ASCENDING AND DESCENDING

Ethereal SpiritsEthereal spirits who possess a vessel may descend to

the corporeal realm, anywhere they have been before, bymaking a Will roll and spending 1 Essence. Returning tothe ethereal plane requires another 1 Essence and a Willroll. A spirit will return to its anchor (p. 18). Unlikecelestials, ethereals don’t have to leave their bodiesbehind to get to the ethereal plane without a Tether –though they may “sleep” normally if they wish.

CelestialsCelestials cannot ascend directly from the corporeal to

the ethereal plane except through an ethereal Tether(below). However, they can walk across the Tether-bor-ders between the ethereal and celestial planes: the edgesof Blandine and Gabriel’s Cathedrals (p. 101), andBeleth’s Principality (p. 102). An angel or demon wholeaves the celestial plane and enters theMarches is no longer in celestial form –even though his visual image may be!Upon exiting the Marchesthrough one of the passages intothe celestial realm, his celestialform reappears; this requiresa Will roll, but no Essence.(It is said that those whofollow the shifting path upGabriel’s Volcano havesometimes found them-selves celestial withoutwilling it.) A celestial whotraveled from the celestialplane to the ethereal may notascend directly to Heaven orHell, or descend to Earth; hemust find a portal back to eitherplane, and cannot leave the Marchesuntil he does. On the other hand, acelestial who willed himself into the Marchesmay pass through an ethereal Tether and return to Earthelsewhere, or he may walk across the border into thecelestial realm. With another Will roll, he may de-man-ifest his vessel back into potentiality, as if he had ascend-ed normally. If he does not “vanish” his vessel, he must goto it when next he returns to the corporeal plane. Tillthen, it lies comatose. If such a vessel is killed while thecelestial is in Heaven or Hell, there will be no Trauma; ina sense, he’s not linked with his vessel.

ETHEREAL TETHERSA few rare Tethers still connect loci on Earth with

ethereal Domains. Any ethereal or celestial who findsone may use it to travel between locations. On Earth, acelestial must first assume celestial form (at the normalEssence cost) before ascending through an etherealTether; this is the only way a celestial can ascend direct-ly to the Marches from Earth without leaving his bodybehind. Ethereals may also use ethereal Tethers; forthem, there is no Essence cost. An ethereal may descendthrough an ethereal Tether to its corporeal locus, also atno Essence cost, but only if it has a vessel, in which it willmanifest upon arrival. Descending celestials initiallymanifest on Earth in celestial form.

Ethereal TravelOnce in the Marches, unless one is anchored to a

dreamscape, it’s possible to travel from one Domain toanother. Most mortals, of course, are anchored to

their dreamscapes; to become a lucid dreamer(below) requires the Dreaming skill. As

described under Through a Dreamer(p. 88), using the Corporeal Song of

Dreams or the Dreamwalkingattunement also anchors one to aparticular dreamscape.

Traveling through the Marchescan be a mind-bending experi-ence. In the Vale of Dreams, thegeography remains fairly consis-tent, and the twin Towers ofBlandine and Beleth, and

Gabriel’s distant volcano, areunmistakable landmarks. Once

one leaves the areas controlled byHeaven and Hell, nothing is certain.

The GM should make any journey aslong or as short as he likes. No one knows

how far the Marches extend. Most spiritsbelieve they are infinite, though there are tales of

travelers who have journeyed to the Farthest Marches andbeyond, and returned reporting only a vast gray empti-ness. (No one ever seems to have spoken personally to oneof these returnees, though, and many believe these arerumors spread by Judgment or the Game, to discourageexploration of regions of no interest to the War . . . orrumors spread by pagan gods, to discourage celestialsfrom finding what’s out there.) 89


Time and space are relative in theMarches, so there is no such thing as anethereal “movement rate.” You are only fast

or slow in relation to other ethereal travel-ers, and that may change depending on theDomain. However, no journey takes morethan a single night, even to the FarthestMarches. The nature of the Marches issuch that while someone might remainthere indefinitely, and even be “lost” for

days, weeks, or years, a journey with a des-tination always ends within a single night . . .

it just doesn’t always end at the intended des-tination. In other words, if you fail to get where

you wanted to go, it’s because you didn’t know theway there (or because it’s avoiding

you . . .), not because you haven’tgone far enough yet. An angelmight search forever, arriving indifferent Domains night afternight, trying to reach the fabledMount Shem (from whence manyethereals claim God originated),while a spirit who knows the waywill have no trouble getting therein one night. Area Knowledge andSurvival skills (pp. 64-65) can bothbe quite useful in navigating theMarches.

An ethereal journey should usu-ally be story-driven; if the GMwants the characters to get some-where, they will, and it can take asmany nights as the GM likesbefore they reach their ultimatedestination. However, for quickjaunts, or when the GM has noplans for the journey or just wantsto let fate decide, characters canmake an ethereal navigation roll.

NAVIGATIONNavigating the Marches requires an Area Knowledge

(Marches) roll (p. 64) – the default is Intelligence -4. Asuccessful roll means the traveler will reach his intendeddestination in six hours minus the check digit; a checkdigit of 6+ means he finds it almost immediately. A failedroll means he will wander the Marches for a number ofhours equal to the check digit, and arrive in a Domainother than the one he sought. At that point, once heleaves the Domain (which isn’t always a straightforwardas simply walking back over the border . . .), he may tryagain. A failed check digit of 6+ means he spends theentire night wandering before coming to the wrongplace.

If the destination is very near to or far from the start-ing point, the GM may assign an arbitrary modifier tothe check digit (the recommended range is -4 to +4).Adjacent Domains might add +4 to the check digit of asuccessful roll, and subtract 4 from an unsuccessful checkdigit, while Domains that the GM decides are across theMarches from one another tonight might subtract 4from a successful check digit, and add +4 to an unsuc-cessful one. See the box (below) for additional modifiersto the navigation roll. Remember that traveling through


ETHEREAL NAVIGATION MODIFIERS✠ Destination is the traveler’s home Domain or anchor (Beleth’s or

Blandine’s Towers, for angels of Dreams and demons of Nightmares,respectively) . . . . +4

✠ Destination is a place very familiar to the traveler (the Vale ofDreams, for humans and celestials – even if they’ve never consciouslybeen there) . . . . +2

✠ Destination is nearby and has visible landmarks or signs leading toit (an angel trying to get from Beleth’s Marches to Blandine’s, for exam-ple, can always see Blandine’s Tower off in the distance) . . . . +2

✠ Destination is famous and easily recognizable even by those who’venever been there (Olympus, Tir na Nog, etc.) . . . . +0

✠ Destination is somewhere the traveler has never been, but he has avery good idea of what it looks like and how to find it, from someoneelse (including by seeing the path in a mortal’s dreamscape) . . . . +0

✠ Destination is somewhere the traveler has never been, and he hasonly a vague idea what it looks like . . . . -2

✠ Destination is a mystery to the traveler; he knows it only by name,or by an obscure reference (“There you will find the Last Dragon, slum-bering beneath a mountain that reaches to the sky . . .”) . . . . -4

✠ Some Domains have features (p. 106) that make them easier orharder to find.

If you fail to get where youwanted to go, it’s because youdidn’t know the way there, notbecause you haven’t gone farenough yet.

the Marches has its hazards; see the Survival(The Marches) skill (p. 65).

MAPPING THE MARCHESWhen laying out the Marches for his cam-

paign, the GM may want to think in terms ofrelationships between Domains, rather than try-ing to draw a map. Domains shift and moveabout, fade in and fade out. Some even seem tomerge and divide again, the borders betweenthem becoming thin enough to confuse theunwary. While the most powerful and well-established ones may be easy to find, and aregenerally found next to the same Domains theywere neighboring last time . . . sometimesthey’re not. Niflheim and Valhalla are usually inclose proximity, such that one can travel fromone Domain to the other simply by steppingacross the border – but some nights, Niflheim isdangerously near the border to Hell, whileValhalla is nowhere to be found. One night,Olympus and Tir na Nog may be adjacent,while the next, they may be so far apart that itwill take an entire night’s travel to get from oneto the other.

As a general rule, Domains close to the Valetend to be small and inconsequential; there are too manycelestial incursions for an ethereal stronghold to takeroot within sight of Blandine and Beleth’s Towers. Thelarger, established Domains, particularly those ruled bypagan gods, are found in the Far Marches, where anangel or demon must go far out of his way to reach them.

LUCID DREAMWALKINGAny human may have a lucid dream, though it’s diffi-

cult without training. The Dreaming skill (p. 65) allowsa human to shape his own dreams. This is all that a mor-tal is likely to do if he manages to make a defaultDreaming roll. However, a Dreaming roll (at -2) can alsoallow a human to perceive the realm that exists beyondhis personal dreamscape, and travel the Marches by him-self.

Lucid dreamers do not leave their dreamscapes behind;a mortal’s dreamscape is always a part of him. From thedreamer’s perspective, he may seem to “step out of hisdream,” but what he’s actually done is caused his dream-scape to merge invisibly with the ethereal realm aroundhim. Everything he can perceive in the Marches properis now effectively a part of his dreamscape . . . and viceversa! (Some humans describe it more as collapsing the

dreamscape into themselves, wearing it like an invisiblespacesuit; the potential abilities of the dreamer are stillthe same.)

This gives humans the unique power to use and main-tain personal Dream-Shaping wherever they go in theMarches. If a human creates a dream-object, he maycarry it with him, even between Domains, because thatobject is a part of his personal dreamscape. (Alas, this doesnot include figment retinues, or anything else that leavesthe creator’s person.) A human trying to alter his owndream-self is also immune to any penalties that theDomain he is in might inflict! (See p. 108.)

The Dreaming skill can also be used to grant thedreamer (not intruders in his dream) a bonus to his skillrolls, just like the Ethereal Song of Dreams, but at noEssence cost: on a successful roll, the dreamer gets abonus to all skill rolls (not including further uses of theDreaming skill, or Songs) equal to the check digit, for anumber of minutes equal to the check digit plus hisEthereal Forces. Failure is treated like any other failedDream-Shaping roll (p. 93), except that a failed checkdigit of 6 automatically moves the dreamer to Beleth’sside of the Marches as well. This power to enhance one-self at will makes lucid dreamers particularly potent,which is why trained Dream Soldiers are a highly-desir-able resource for Superiors and pagan gods alike. 91


DREAMING AND REM SLEEPHumans don’t actually dream from the moment they fall asleep

until the moment they wake up; REM (Rapid Eye Movement)sleep, which occurs during dreams, only makes up a small portionof a person’s total time asleep. However, it would be cumbersometo say that Songs and attunements to affect dreams can only beused on a human when he happens to be in REM sleep.

The simplest assumption is that any successful attempt to affecta human’s dreamscape will automatically stimulate him intodreaming. Because time flows differently in the Marches, a personmight spend eight hours of subjective time in the realm of dreams,even though he only slept for six hours in the corporeal realm, andonly spent two of those hours dreaming. It’s possible to distorttime even further, but this should require Dream-Shaping rolls (p. 93); it’s not natural for a human to experience eight weeks ofsubjective time in one night.

If the GM wants to be realistic, he can rule that a human’sdreamscape is only active when he enters REM sleep on his own.This would require angels of Dreams, demons of Nightmares, andethereals to be more patient, as they’ll need good timing whenattempting to influence a specific mortal.

Lucid dreaming can also be dangerous, though. Just asthe dreamer makes the Marches part of his dream, hisdream becomes a part of the Marches! That means thatanyone who sees him, including ethereals, celestials, andother lucid dreamers, may use Dream-Shaping againsthim – they do not have to “enter” his dreamscape first(see p. 88). And any Dream-Shaping bonuses that a spir-it gets for being in its native Domain are fully applicable.Lucid dreamers are also fully exposed to celestial attacks(p. 98).

A lucid dreamer can “return” to his dreamscape (caus-ing it to become a protective, self-enclosing bubble oncemore, shielding him from the rest of the Marches), bymaking another Dreaming roll. However, he cannot dothis within an ethereal Domain! The human must escapethe Domain he’s in before he can return to his dream-bubble. (Of course, he can always attempt to wake upinstead – see p. 88.) Human dreamscapes “left behind”outside the Vale of Dreams when the dreamer awakensmay reappear in the Far Marches, close to where theywere the night before, or they may manifest elsewhere inthe Marches . . . or the dreamscape may pop up rightback in Blandine or Beleth’s Domains. This is up to theGM, and largely determined by the dreamer’s emotionsand thoughts when he goes to sleep. Note that a checkdigit of 6 on a Dream-Shaping roll (p. 93) can move adreamscape, and the dreamer himself may attempt todetermine where his dreamscape will appear when hefirst starts dreaming.

Ethereal PhySicSThe ethereal plane does not operate according to cor-

poreal physics. Everything is a dream; appearances aremere guises, and reality is only what the most potentintellect says it is. Some say everything is an illusion onthe ethereal plane, and nothing is real; others say therecan be no illusions in a place where everything is real.

The mutability of the ethereal plane can be a blessing;it can also make the Marches a very dangerous place.

APPEARANCEThere’s no such thing as an “ethereal form.”

Occupants of the Marches are mental constructs; “icons”marking the point where their intellect is focused, rela-tive to other ethereal travelers.

This adequately explains how humans and celestialscan travel the Marches while leaving their bodies behindon the corporeal plane, and even celestials who enter theMarches directly from Heaven or Hell are said to be

projecting their consciousnesses, when their real selvesare centered on their Hearts. However, ethereal spiritsare unsatisfied with this axiom; if there is no true ethere-al form, then what are they? Celestials say they are mere-ly dreams animated by Essence from the corporeal andcelestial realms. Ethereal philosophers prefer to thinkthat their true selves are part of the Marches, their“Hearts” made up of the interwoven strands of the ethe-real realm.

Whatever the case may be, appearances in the Marchesare created by thought, and can change as easily asthoughts do. Likewise, one’s environment and “posses-sions” are often but a matter of perspective, and as mal-leable as any ethereal perspective.

EntitiesEntities – namely, independent living beings, including

figments (p. 74) – all have a “natural” appearance in theMarches. This is the form they always take when firstmanifesting on the ethereal plane, and it’s how theyappear to others unless they use personal Dream-Shaping (p. 93) to alter it.

An ethereal spirit’s natural appearance is that of itsImage (p. 125). A celestial’s natural appearance is either itscelestial form, or the appearance of the last vessel it waswearing (depending on whether the celestial entered theMarches from the celestial plane or Earth). A human’snatural appearance, of course, is his corporeal body.

Because all appearances in the Marches are etherealillusions, a Seraph can’t necessarily divine whether or notan ethereal entity is presenting its natural appearance.However, a deliberate attempt to masquerade as some-thing one is not is a form of lying, and Seraphim ofDestiny, as always, see through concealing “illusions”with a touch.

ObjectsAnyone can conjure an ethereal object with a

Dreaming roll (p. 65). Personal Dream-Shaping will cre-ate an object that only remains with the person who cre-ated it, while an environmental Dream-Shaping can cre-ate an item that can be given to someone else, and takenelsewhere in the Domain. In no case will a mere Dream-Shaped object persist if the shaper leaves that Domain.Nor does a Dream-Shaped sword or gun necessarilyfunction as an ethereal weapon (see p. 98).

Actual artifacts have a reality that surpasses their ethe-real image. Like entities (above), they have a naturalappearance; artifacts Enchanted on the corporeal orcelestial plane have an ethereal appearance identical totheir true form. Artifacts enchanted on the ethereal plane92


have a natural appearance given to them when they werecreated. The owner of an artifact can alter its appearance(but not its function) with a Dreaming roll. Anyone elsemay alter the appearance of an artifact they find with anenvironmental Dream-Shaping.

PlacesPlaces – primarily Domains (including dreamscapes),

but also the areas between Domains in the Near and FarMarches – take on a natural appearance when they arecreated. Sometimes they are self-sustaining; sometimesthe ruler of a Domain defines its appearance (and maychange it as well). Anyone else may attempt to change aDomain’s appearance, but this is an environmentalchange which can be contested by anyone else within theDomain, especially its ruler (p. 103) . . . and even if suc-cessful, such alterations usually vanish when the shaperleaves the Domain.

DREAM-SHAPINGThe ethereal realm is the stuff of dreams – not just

human dreams, though humans have the greatest effecton it. Anyone can influence their environment on theethereal plane, whether it’s to create a small dream-object, or to shape the events of a human’s dream, oreven alter the fundamental properties of a Domain.

The Dreaming skill, used for Dream-Shaping, isdescribed on p. 65. The more dramatic the change, thehigher the penalty to make it! Note that personal changesare different from environmental changes; the latter aregreatly affected by the environment in which they areattempted (see below). An unsuccessful roll means theshaper may not attempt any more changes for minutesequal to the check digit; a failed check digit of 6 meansthe Dream-Shaper may not attempt any more Dream-Shaping rolls within his current environment for a fullhour. (If this happens to a human, he is unable to makeany Dreaming rolls for an hour, since he is always withinhis dreamscape – see p. 105.) The check digit of a suc-cessful roll determines how close to the Dream-Shaper’sintent the change was; a Dream-Shaped sword would beperfectly serviceable with a check digit 1, while a checkdigit 6 makes it exactly the sword that the creator intend-ed, matching that ideal in every way. (The check digit isalso important in contests; e.g., whether a “forged”guard’s uniform will be detected as wrongly imagined.)Any successful Dream-Shaping will last either until thedream ends, or until something else alters it, whether it’sanother Dream-Shaper, or the environment itself. (Thisallows incremental changes in the environment – it takeslonger, but the penalties are less severe.) 93



Note that a human is always the “Domain Ruler”of his dreamscape; divide penalties by half (roundup) for the human’s environmental changes there.(It’s much easier to take control of your own dream-scape than to modify someone else’s.)

0 . . . . Personal: Make a single minor alteration inyour appearance (become a little shorter, a littletaller, change your clothes or skin color, etc.).Environmental: Transfer and accept a minor, person-al Dream-Shaped item to/from someone else whichwill not vanish if the creator leaves the Domain (p. 92); both must make their roll (this includesthings such as turning your gloves into meaty bones,to give to a Hunger spirit).

-1 . . . . Personal: Make any changes in yourselfyou like, while still remaining recognizably “you”(you can become taller, prettier, and blonder, wear-ing any clothes you like, but a black man can’t turninto a white woman, for example). If you possessmultiple vessels and want to “swap” appearancesbetween them, or change to or from the appearanceof your celestial form, a Dreaming roll with thispenalty allows it. Environmental: Make a minorchange in the immediate environment: light to dark,hot to cold, cloudy to sunny, etc. Changes that areimpossible (or highly unlikely) in that environment(such as turning it sunny underground) are not“minor”!

-2 . . . . Personal: Alter your appearance into anyroughly humanoid form you desire (or anything elsesimilar to your natural form, if you are nothumanoid; a Seraph could become anythinghumanoid or serpentlike, and ethereals treat theirImage (p. 125) as their natural form). You may alsocreate small inanimate objects; this allows you to con-jure an ethereal sword or gun, for example (see p.98). Environmental: Make several minor changes inthe environment (for example, turn a cold, darknight into a warm, sunny day, or add chirping birdsto a previously empty forest), or transform a singlesmall object (about 5 lbs. in weight, or a yard in size)into anything else of similar size: a branch into agun, a staff into a snake, a rock into a pile of dust, etc.(This will not affect other creatures, even figments.)

-3 . . . . Personal: Take on the appearance of anyliving thing you can imagine. (Becoming a trulyhuge creature, however, is effectively an environmen-

tal change.) Environmental: You may create animat-ed entities, which become figments (p. 74). At thislevel and above, you can also alter figments.

-5 . . . . Personal: Assume any form you can imag-ine (again, within limits – trying to become a planetwould be an environmental change requiring at leasta check digit of 6!). You may also create any inani-mate object that you can carry with you (includingvehicles). Environmental: Transform any largerobject (within reason – trees or elephants, but notmountains or aircraft carriers, which are largeenough to be environments in themselves) into any-thing else. You can turn an elephant into a mouse ortree or car, or vice versa. You may alter the appear-ance of other beings at this level; they may resistwith a Contest of Dreaming rolls (and even if youwin, they can transform themselves back on the fol-lowing round).

-7 . . . . Personal: Relocate yourself anywherewithin the current environment (lucid dreamers caninstantly move themselves back to the Vale ofDreams, or to any ethereal Domain they know!).Environmental: Radically alter the environment,such as making it snow on a summer’s day, or turn-ing a dark and spooky forest full of gnarled, evil-looking trees into a bright, sunny glade. You can alsoalter subjective time within the environment by aratio of up to 2:1, relative to the corporeal realm andthe rest of the Marches; this will affect everyone inthe environment.

-10 . . . . Personal: Your “form” may affect anyonetouching it! This can do damage (up to the checkdigit, per round, for check digit rounds), heal (ditto),spread an appearance effect such as “turning blue”or “growing moldy,” or whatever else seems reason-able. The affected person may negate the effect witha round of concentration and a personal Dream-Shaping roll. Environmental: Transform the envi-ronment to anything you want; a human dreamscapeeffectively becomes a whole new dream. You mayinstantly transport a dreamer to Beleth’s orBlandine’s Marches, or to any ethereal Domain youknow. Alternatively, subjective time may be acceler-ated by a factor equal to the shaper’s Ethereal Forces(i.e., with 5 Ethereal Forces you could make timepass 5 times more slowly, or 5 times faster, relative tothe Symphony outside this environment).

DREAM-SHAPING PENALTIES

Environmental Dream-Shaping can be directlyopposed by anyone else in the same environment; thewinner of a Contest determines what changes occur (ordon’t). If multiple Dream-Shapers are trying to changethe same thing (including when one shaper isopposed by multiple adversaries), the highestcheck digit wins; on a tie, the “defender” iswhomever is trying to preserve the statusquo.

There are many factors that can mod-ify a Dream-Shaping roll.

AffinitiesEthereal spirits may add any

bonuses granted by their affinities(p. 50). A slight affinity gives a +1bonus to Dream-Shaping rolls, amoderate affinity grants a +2bonus, a strong affinity grants a+4 bonus, and a primal affinitygrants a bonus equal to the spir-it’s Ethereal Forces, and raisesthe target number to 10 if it isbelow that. (Penalties areapplied after determining thebasic skill level.) Affinities onlyapply when they are applicable,but they are cumulative! Thus, aspirit with a primal affinity forLightning and a moderate affinityfor Weather, attempting to create alightning storm in a dream, wouldget a bonus equal to its EtherealForces +2, with a minimum targetnumber of 10, before the penalties(p. 94) for such an environmentalchange are applied.

SongsThe Ethereal and Celestial Songs of

Dreams affect dreamers as described in InNomine (p. 79); the check digit of the Celestial version isadded to the performer’s next Dreaming roll. Note thatanyone can target a lucid dreamer who is “outside” hisdreamscape (p. 105) with either Song, but the Songs canonly affect the dreamer, not the environment or otherbeings around him.

EnvironmentFor Dream-Shaping purposes, there are four different

“environments” in the Marches: the Vale of Dreams,

ethereal Domains, human dreamscapes, and everywhereelse.

Dream-Shaping in the ValeIn the Vale of Dreams, anyone can alter their own

appearance or the appearance of artifacts they arecarrying. However, Beleth and Blandine are

the masters of this Domain, and no lesserbeings can alter it without directly affect-

ing the Words of Dreams orNightmares (which would take farmore than mere Dream-Shaping).Thus, environmental changes arenot possible here.

Dream-Shaping in an Ethereal Domain

Ethereal Domains are usuallyruled by a powerful spirit or spir-its. Personal changes are possi-ble, but may be resisted by theproperties of the Domain (p.

106). Environmental changesare resisted not only by anyDomain properties, but bythose who control theDomain; the ruler(s), if theyare present in the Domain,will immediately know thatsomeone is trying to alter it,

and may negate the changewith a Dreaming roll of their

own (this is not a Contest).

Dream-Shaping in DreamscapesDream-Shaping within a dream-

scape is usually easy, since humans can’timpose automatic penalties, and they can

only resist changes by winning a Contest.However, a dreamer can force intruders out of his

dreamscape by making a Dreaming roll (at default, if needbe) at the -3 penalty – and even an Mundane may uncon-sciously spend Essence. Moreover, a lucid dreamer who iswithin his dreamscape can use his Dreaming skill to reducethe skill rolls of intruders, just as he can use it to enhancehis own skill rolls (p. 91). Subjects may resist normally.

Lucid dreamers wandering the Marches (p. 102) aretreated as being within their own dreamscapes when mak-ing personal changes (which means they are immune toDomain penalties), but they are within their surroundingenvironment when attempting to make environmentalchanges. 95


Dream-Shaping in the Marches ProperIn the Border and Far Marches, in the empty spaces

between Domains, no restrictions apply. Anyone mayshape their local environment in any way they like, but allchanges will fade when the Dream-Shaper leaves.Personal alterations will vanish and must be re-shapedupon entering a Domain.

ETHEREAL DISTURBANCESIt is possible to disturb the Symphony in the Marches.

Songs and conscious Essence expenditures make a distur-bance no matter who is responsible. Ethereal combat (p.97) does not create a disturbance – it’s not “real,” as far asthe Symphony is concerned. Entering and leaving theethereal plane, by whatever method, also does not create adisturbance. (This includes Superior manifestations,which is one reason why the Marches are popular for clan-destine meetings between Archangels and DemonPrinces.)

Truly destructive actions – namely, destroying Forces incelestial combat – do create a disturbance. In the Marches,every Force destroyed by a celestial will create a note ofdisturbance (unlike on Earth, where only destroyedCorporeal Forces register loudly enough to be perceived –In Nomine, p. 55). Soul-killing a human (but not an ethe-real or a celestial) will generate an additional 10 notes ofdisturbance.

The above only applies when an ethereal or a celestial harms a human, or a celestial harms an ethereal,

however! Humans can damage anyone, and ethereals candamage celestials and one another, without making anydisturbance.

When an ethereal or a celestial alters a human’s dreamscape (p. 105), this also creates a single note of disturbance.

Perceiving DisturbancesThere is no linear distance in the Marches.

Disturbances become weaker as they cross Domainboundaries, but any disturbance will echo throughout aDomain, regardless of its subjective size, and a largeenough disturbance can theoretically be heard through-out the Marches (just as a large enough disturbance onEarth could be heard around the world).

For each Domain “border” between the source of thedisturbance and the listener, there is a -5 penalty to thePerception roll to sense it. The theoretical line betweenBeleth’s and Blandine’s territories in the Marches countsas a border, as does the ill-defined one between theBorder Marches and the Far Marches (p. 102).

Example: A demon of Nightmares, patrolling her mistress’Marches, pursues an ethereal spirit into a human’s dream-scape, and there destroys the spirit in celestial combat. This dis-turbance (equal to the spirit’s total Forces) is perceptible at nopenalty to anyone else within that dreamscape (including thedreamer, if he’s Symphonically aware). Everyone else inBeleth’s Domain will be able to hear it at a -5 penalty; those inother dreamscapes within Beleth’s Marches could perceive itwith a -10 penalty, since it must penetrate into the second


dreamscape. Crossing the border into Blandine’s territory, thoseon her side of the Vale can also hear the disturbance at -10,while anyone in a dreamscape in Blandine’s Marches can hearthe disturbance at -15. Anyone in the Border Marches canhear the disturbance at -10 (it crosses two borders: that of thedreamscape, and that of Beleth’s Marches), and -15 in the FarMarches. Add another -5 to Domains within the Border orFar Marches, respectively.

Obviously, few disturbances will carry as far as sug-gested in the above example, but echoes (In Nomine, p.55) do carry in the Marches, and those who hear themcan follow them between Domains, for as long as theylast. As on the corporeal plane, ethereal disturbances arecumulative, so a brawl between gods out in Asgard orOlympus may well generate noise that angels anddemons can hear in the Vale of Dreams.

Disturbances do not normally cross between realms.Those within Blandine’s and Beleth’s Towers can heardisturbances in the Vale (at a -5 penalty) because theirowners have made it so, but the celestial ends of theTowers are part of the celestial plane; disturbances thereare not perceptible in the Marches. The only otherexception is when a human is soul-killed in the Marches;this will create a disturbance centering both in theDomain where it happened, and on the human’s bodyback on Earth.

Tracking DisturbancesSymphonic disturbance provides an excellent means of

tracking someone. Anyone who has heard the echoes ofa disturbance may travel toward it, adding the level of thedisturbance at the point where the tracker perceived it to hisethereal navigation roll (p. 96). Even if the echoes fadebefore the tracker reaches his destination, the bonus stillapplies, as they will help him find a more direct route.

Example: A lucid dreamer has gotten lost in Tir na Nog,out in the Far Marches. A malevolent faerie attacks him witha Song that generates 8 notes of disturbance. Fortunately forthe mortal, there is a Malakite of Dreams hunting the FarMarches this night. At a -5 penalty, the Malakite is able tohear the disturbance, and chooses to follow it. She’ll need tomake an ethereal navigation roll to determine how long it willtake to arrive in Tir na Nog, but she’ll get to add (8 - 5 = +3)to her roll.

CombatCorporeal combat is impossible on the ethereal plane.

Spirits can fight each other ethereally, and occasionallyduel to the death in celestial combat, but Strength,

Agility and Corporeal Forces never play a part in dream-combat.

Celestial attunements that do corporeal damage caninflict either ethereal or celestial damage in the Marches(user’s choice). Dominic’s Heavenly Judgment andGabriel’s Smite attunements, for example, can destroyeither mind or soul, as can the Calabite resonance. Songsthat normally do corporeal damage, on the other hand,have no effect in the Marches unless their descriptionspecifies otherwise. (Songs with non-damaging effects,such as the Song of Thunder, function normally.Likewise, while nominally Corporeal, NuminousCorpus Songs will work in any realm.) Unless specifiedotherwise in their descriptions (such as NuminousCorpus), none of these attacks are considered normalethereal combat, and thus cannot be Dodged.

ETHEREAL COMBATWhile ethereal spirits and dreamers may appear to

wrestle, hack at each other with swords, or exchange firewith guns or rocket launchers, all combat is ethereal innature, and all damage is inflicted in the form of Mindhits. Ethereal spirits are naturally able to make etherealattacks. Humans and celestials can do so if they know anyof the Songs of Dreams, or possess the Dreamwalkingattunement. (Anyone with an ethereal weapon may alsouse it to attack – see box, p. 98.) Lucid dreamers can alsoattack ethereally. (Default use of the Dreaming skill onlycounts within the human’s dreamscape.) 97


OPTIONAL RULESThe first two optional rules first appeared in the Game

Master’s Guide, p. 120.Mind Hits: GMs may prefer to use a different for-

mula to calculate Mind Hits, in an ethereals campaign.Instead of Ethereal Forces ×Intelligence, use TotalForces + Ethereal Forces + Intelligence.

Mental Toughness: This costs 4 points per level, upto two levels, and adds to Mind hits, which become(Ethereal Forces + Mental Toughness) × Intelligence.If using the optional rule above, add 5 hits per level ofMental Toughness.

Mind Hits and Discord: When a character isreduced to 0 Mind hits, gaining the ethereal Discordimmediately “heals” them to full Mind hits again.(This keeps characters from remaining below half theirtotal Mind Hits, and thus immune to further Discord.)

For the most part, ethereal combat follows the rules inIn Nomine, summarized in the box on p. 68. Note thataffinity powers are supernatural, like Songs, resonances,and attunements, while Precision substitutes for Agility.Contests of Dreaming may be used to create (or destroy)weapons, change the environment, etc.

An ethereal attack is rolled against the attacker’sIntelligence + Ethereal Forces. Damage in Mind hits isequal to the check digit. Someone using an etherealweapon (see box) adds the appropriate weapon skill to his target number (which can result in a lower targetnumber, if the attacker doesn’t actually possess theappropriate skill . . .). Ethereal attacks can be Dodged,

even by individuals who can’t make ethereal attacksthemselves; use normal Dodge rules (In Nomine, p. 66),but base the Dodge roll on Precision instead of Agility.

There is no “range” per se in ethereal combat; if youcan perceive someone in the Marches, you can attackhim, and vice versa. You do have to follow the rules of theDomain you’re in, however, and most Domains default to“rules of engagement” that approximate those of the cor-poreal plane (typically substituting Precision for Agility,and Intelligence for Strength). Thus, if you see someoneat a distance, you can’t hit him with an ethereal sword;you must use a ranged weapon. It only takes a momentfor an experienced ethereal combatant to shape a dream-gun, of course, but an actual ethereal weapon is limitedby its form; to attack someone with a sword talisman, youneed to get within subjective “melee range.”

Some Domains have vastly different rules – in some, asword can strike someone who appears to be a mile away,while in others, ranged weapons just don’t work . . . andsome strange Domains might turn all swords into sticks,or cause guns to shoot only harmless gumdrops. Craftyethereals take advantage of peculiar local rules whenfighting opponents who may be ignorant of them . . .

Losing Ethereal CombatEvery sentient being has Mind hits equal to their

Intelligence × Ethereal Forces (see In Nomine, p. 63).Anyone who is reduced to 0 Mind hits in the Marchesimmediately loses consciousness. Ethereals are dispersed,and will reform at their anchors (p. 18). Humans andsleeping celestials are sent back to their bodies, whilecelestials who entered the Marches from the celestialplane will be sent unconscious back to their Hearts. Theywill wake up after seven hours minus their EtherealForces (or upon being healed to positive Mind hits),whereupon they will have acquired one level of EtherealDiscord. Someone who’s suffered Discord in etherealcombat and returns to the Marches before he’s com-pletely recovered won’t suffer more Discord unless hisMind hits have healed above half his full amount, thoughhe’ll still suffer the other effects of being reduced to 0Mind hits again.

CELESTIAL COMBATWhile there are no celestial forms in the Marches, the

ethereal plane is still a place where one’s soul is bared. . . and thus can be attacked. Celestial combat is muchdeadlier than ethereal combat; combatants risk losingForces, or their very existence. Spirits rarely engage incelestial combat unless they’re very sure of victory.98


ETHEREAL WEAPONSAnyone capable of Dream-Shaping (p. 93) can create

a weapon for himself. Normally, the only effect this has(aside from psychological) is that you can add an appro-priate skill to your attack roll. Thus, an angel who usesDream-Shaping to give himself a sword won’t do anyextra damage, but he can add his Large Weapon(Sword) skill to his attack. Note that dream-weaponsmay also be forced to conform to local Domain rules(p. 106).

Ethereal artifacts can also be used as etherealweapons, with both benefits and penalties. On the plusside, the weapon is available without having to make aroll, and the talisman adds its skill normally. Further, itcannot be “stolen” if one is in the Marches via dream-ing if the physical portion of it is in the owner’s keep-ing. On the minus side, the maximum check digit of asuccessful hit is equal to the level of the talisman. Forexample, a talisman/3 in the form of a sword will inflict3 Mind hits, or the check digit, whichever is lower, ona successful attack. (Bonuses due to an effective skillover 12 still add to this.) This special property is onlytrue of actual talismans. While celestial artifacts canalso be brought to the Marches, they grant no specialbonuses unless they have ethereal properties as well.

Ethereal FightingFighting skill isn’t normally applicable to ethereal

combat, but with the GM’s permission, an “unarmed”attack in the Marches that fits the style of the attacker’sfighting skill (which may require shaping one’s appear-ance appropriately) may be treated as an ethereal“weapon,” allowing the attacker to add his Fightingskill to the attack roll.

They consider angels and demons to be bullyingmarauders because celestials usually outmatch etherealsconsiderably in Celestial Forces, and thus are oftenquick to initiate celestial combat if they’re being out-maneuvered ethereally.

Although humans can also be attacked celestially, theydo have one protection: a human who is still ensconcedwithin his dreamscape can only be attacked celestially ifhe initiates celestial combat, and few dreamers know how.A lucid dreamer who has “left” his dreamscape (p. 105) isexposing himself to the greater Marches, and no longerhas this protection, and still may not know how to initi-ate combat (but may defend himself if attacked). Fewethereals will take on even a mortal in celestial combat;they gain nothing by destroying a human’s soul, and havetoo much to lose. Demons, however, have been known tolure Dream Soldiers to their deaths out in the FarMarches, and woe to the sorcerer or Soldier of Hellcaught wandering the Marches by one of Laurence’sMarch Guardians (p. 120).

As with ethereal combat, celestial combat in theMarches is rangeless; barring Domain conventions, ifyou can see your foe, you can attack him, and viceversa. Ethereal weapons and relics (p. 98) have noeffect here in celestial combat, unless they possess spe-cific properties for that purpose (such as Fiery Swords– Liber Reliquarum, p. 60). Celestial combat in theMarches is otherwise conducted as described in InNomine (p. 64).

(To salvage a Game Master’s sanity, he may always rulethat the Vale has the Domain convention that celestial combat-ants must be within what passes for a few yards of each other –they must be able to see each other clearly.)

Losing Celestial Combat in the Marches

Ethereals and celestials who lose all their CorporealForces in the Marches will not be immediately affected,but they cannot take corporeal form again until theyregain at least 1 Corporeal Force. If they left a vessel backon Earth, that vessel will die (unless it is in a Body Bag),as will the body of any human stripped of his CorporealForces. (Some mortals who meet this fate become dream-shades, p. 122). Loss of Ethereal Forces takes effect asdescribed in In Nomine (p. 68). (A human waking upafter losing all his Ethereal Forces will behave like a vic-tim of severe brain damage, having lost all his memoriesand intellect.) Loss of Celestial Forces destroys the soul;in a human’s case, this will create a disturbance as if hehad died, though his body may remain alive back onEarth . . . in a vegetative state from which it will neverrecover. Celestials are immediately expelled from theethereal plane and wake up back on Earth as Remnants. . . or are destroyed completely if they have no vessels toreturn to. Ethereals who lose all their Celestial Forcesbecome figments (p. 74), unless they can make it to Earthor left a vessel “sleeping” there – then they becomeRemnants. 99


100D O M A I N S

domainS

DANCING AROUNDTHE MOUNTAIN

At the center of the storm, the lost ones chant their mantra, hold-ing back the winds with the force of their belief. “There is nochance,” they say. “Not here. Our physics does not require it.”

One of them is seized by doubt. He thinks of the Venial Moietics,whose actions and choices have always perplexed him. His certain-ty that life has an order to it wavers. We plunge at him and carryhim away.

“This is a systematic world,” they say. “Everything has a mean-ing. Everything is to a purpose. In such fashion does the Marchesconstruct the stories of our lives.”

Two of them falter, remembering the chaotic dreams that gavethem birth. I am the first to reach the male, and take some plea-sure in deconstructing him into the elements of his being.

“Choice and necessity determine our paths. There is no chance.”Most of those I get to kill are the new ones. They’re smart enough

to start the chant when they see what it does for the others, but theydon’t integrate it into their being. They can’t hold me off with theforce of their belief. The old ones can; there’s one mantis-like crea-ture in the middle who has maintained the chant for 700 years.

If this weren’t our land, they’d be right. I can feel the nice order-ly structure of their lives when I tear them open. I don’t know howmuch randomness there is elsewhere in the Marches, but I suspectit isn’t much.

But we are a dream of chance, and we are built into thisDomain. There is no order to whom we snatch and carry to thismountaintop. There is no sense or structure to it. There is only theineluctable sentence we pass upon those whom our whimsy picks out.They will come here, will they or nill they, and we will screamabout them in the storm.

When their faith in order and reason fails, when they lose theirinherent belief that pure chance cannot end their life, they die.

Mist and emptiness fill the Marches. Most of the land-scape appears featureless to the untrained eye – gray, flat,cloudy sand stretching in all directions, covered in gray, roil-ing, cloudy dream-fog. A spirit can walk for hours withoutencountering anything of substance and days withoutencountering more than scattered nooks of landscape andlong-abandoned Domains. The darker regions of the FarMarches have bits and pieces of unpleasant turf scatteredthrough them – houses built of bones, segments of pollutedriver, cliffs over stormy seas. They have monsters roamingthem, not to mention the scattered dreamscapes of humansin the throes of nightmare. Yet most of the Marches remainsempty. For every idea that a human imagines, there are mil-lions of ideas that no human has ever imagined. In like man-ner, for every place in the world of mind, great empty stretch-es of nowhereness sprawl, occupied by nothing but rovingethereals and the potential for dream. Even the spirits, alertto subtle differences in the soil, mist, and dreamscape

perambulations, need specialized expertise to find their wayaround outside their regular haunts.

Spirits call the breaks in the emptiness Domains. Some arehuge. At least one range of mountains hides in the far mists.Hundreds of spirits live on the hydra-tree, a ferocious wood-en creature larger than a human city. Other Domains, the“micro-Domains,” can usually fit in a being’s fist, and holdabout as much on the inside as a house. Domains movethrough the Marches like icebergs, drifting in a stately man-ner through the mist; the larger the Domain, the slower itsmotion.

Some Domains occur naturally. Spirits call these “oases,”and do not understand the process that forms them. Greatergods and Superiors create other Domains through sheerforce of will. Lesser spirits must cobble together a collectionof micro-Domains if they wish to create a shared world.Humans have the easiest time of it. They transform theirdreamscapes into inhabitable, manipulable Domains when-ever they dream.

The Vale of DreAmSIn all the ethereal realm, no region can rival the Vale of

Dreams, the pearl at the Marches’ heart. No other landattracts so many dreamscapes and so much dreamer-Essence. The vital quality of beautiful dreams manifestsmore purely in Archangel Blandine’s region of the Valethan it does anywhere else. The stuff of nightmare infestsnowhere else so thoroughly as it does the lands of DemonPrincess Beleth. The Vale of Dreams is the pride of thespirits’ land, and celestials have subjugated and conqueredit, dividing it between Heaven and Hell as casually asEurope split up the New World.

BLANDINE’S MARCHESAt the center of the beauteous Vale stands Blandine’s

Tower, a Divine Tether. Rumor has it that spirits once visit-ed this Tower and spoke to its Lady. In the modernMarches, the Tower represents death. The Tower’s guardsmight hear out a messenger, but they turn visitors away andmeet intruders with the points of their swords. The ancientspirits mourn this as a pity – the Tower reportedly containsthe greatest library in all the lands of dream.

Approximately half the Vale is Blandine’s Domain – astretch of territory greater than any pagan god commands.However, even Archangels have limits. Though her willinfluences every part of her Domain, it does not complete-ly define it. Most of Blandine’s realm remains mist andpotential, slightly flavored with inspiration and hope. Thereare even a few tiny spirit-crafted Domains hidden in itsexpanse.

101D O M A I N S

GABRIEL’S FORTRESSThe celestial Cathedral of Archangel Gabriel also

manifests in the Marches. It is a huge volcano, dimly vis-ible from the Vale. Usually it is directly opposite Beleth’sTower, with Blandine’s Tower between them. Sometimesit seems to move, though; in particular, sometimes italmost seems to loom over Beleth’s Domain, as if to say“Someday I shall come down and burn you out!”

Walking to the foot of Gabriel’s mountain is usuallynot hard. A narrow path runs up to the caldera at the top;this is a Tether between the ethereal and celestial realms.Sometimes the path is hard to find . . . it definitely moves . . . but it is always there. Those who cansense the strength of a Tether say there are no greaterones; conceivably, almost any number could use it. Thereis always talk of an invasion of Heaven by this route,which is one reason Gabriel built her Cathedral as afortress. Other prophecies, less clear, speak of a day whenmyriads of supplicants or refugees will take this routefrom the Marches into Heaven, and the Archangel’sforces will cover their retreat . . .

BELETH’S MARCHESBeleth’s Tower stands tall in the region of nightmare,

an Infernal Tether leading into Hades. Spirits still visitthis Tower on rare occasions, usually with great reluc-tance, and report that it lives up to Beleth’s demonic

nature – a dark maze, full of horrors, where visitors hadbest not leave the path. Features include the amphithe-ater where dreamers are publicly tortured, a library ofnightmare that almost matches Blandine’s in its quality,and the top of the Tower, where one can find the DemonPrincess herself.

Approximately half the Vale belongs to Beleth. Likeher angelic counterpart, Beleth cannot dictate the formof such a vast Domain. Some regions of Beleth’s Marcheshave cartography of her design, horrid sub-Domainscapturing one brand of terror. Others remain a blankland of mists, tinted ever-so-slightly with the color offear.

THE BORDER MARCHESThe Border Marches surround the Vale of Dreams,

patrolled by a force of Laurence’s Malakim. These war-rior angels, the Guardians, protect the Vale and humandreams from spirits who would enter them. ForMalakim, they appear to be reasonable souls – they pre-fer driving spirits back to destroying them. This does notstop spirits from resenting them bitterly.

The Guardians defend Blandine’s Marches vigorously.They also try to keep spirits from entering Beleth’sDomain, but politics makes this difficult. They do nothave the authority to start a war with Beleth herself.

The Far MArcheSBeyond angelic and demonic influence lie

the Far Marches, a land built from thedepths of the human unconscious. Like theVale of Dreams, the Far Marches is a barrenlandscape with pockets of substance – but somany pockets! Endless thousands of micro-Domains, hundreds of large oases, andmore than a few spirit-made Domains litterthe Far Marches’ endless expanse. The far-ther one travels from the sane Vale ofDreams, the less the Far Marches resemblesthe corporeal realm. Beyond the Domainsthe angels know are regions dominated byallegory and myth, where the superstitiousand ritualistic worldviews of premodernhumanity accurately describe reality.Beyond those regions lie the Utgard stones,and beyond that either chaos or nothingness– or so travelers say.

102D O M A I N S

DOMAINS“Peace brooded o’er the hushed domain;Apollo, Pallas, Jove and MarsHeld undisturbed their ancient reignIn the solemn midnight,Centuries ago.”

– Alfred Domett

Greater gods create some Far Marches Domains.Others occur naturally. Lesser spirits create a tiny fractionof these Domains, laboriously constructing them fromstolen dreams.

Domains do not always run on the same natural law asthe rest of the Marches. The “physical” reality of theDomain, set at the time of its creation, can operate inwhatever manner its creator desires. Glaciers can flowuphill; inanimate objects can weep in the presence of lies;a cry of “Uji!” can cause a river’s course to bend. Spiritualreality is immutable, however. Spirits cannot designDomains that alter the mechanics of celestial combat, thenature of Songs, or the fundamental selves of the creatureswithin the Domain. (A few Domains do change thesethings, but this is a spiritual feature of the Domain, andthus beyond an ethereal’s direct power.)

The natural law of a Domain cannot discriminatebetween one individual and another. Thus, a god can cre-ate a Domain where whomever sits upon its throne con-trols the weather, but cannot create a Domain where thatgod controls the weather. (Unless it has the Weather affin-ity, of course.) Knowing that someone will always find away to sit on a god’s throne, or read the Sacred Book, orwield the god’s sword, or answer the Riddle of the Beastthat Crouches Under the Stone, most gods avoid buildingtheir power base into physical law. Instead, they designDomains that play subtly to their strengths.

A created Domain has a “master” or “ruler.” A god whocreates a Domain is automatically its master. If a group ofspirits create a Domain, the most powerful spirit becomesits master. When the master of a Domain formally grantsa spirit residency in its Domain, the spirit gains a perma-nent anchor (p. 18) within the Domain. If the master alsoassigns the spirit a position in the Domain, such as“Seneschal” or “craftsman,” it gives that spirit a bonuswhen performing its duties. (See Assertion, p. 132). TheDomain’s master itself receives this bonus on all activitieswithin its Domain. It can delegate portions of this author-ity, allowing its warleader to appoint officers, those offi-cers to recruit soldiers, and so forth.

If a Domain’s master is destroyed or enters Trauma, themost powerful spirit in the Domain at the time becomesits master. A polite usurper defeats the old master in ethe-real combat, leaving it alive. More ruthless sorts strip away

their rival’s soul. If a spirit assumes the godhead of theDomain’s master (see p. 103), it becomes the Domain’smaster in turn.

Domains have other properties that make them valuableresources in the spirit world. They can become the“upper” locus of an ethereal Tether, giving spirits easyaccess to the corporeal world. Ethereal craftsmen canbuild vehicles capable of traveling the Marches out of thesubstance of a Domain. Similarly, they can make high-quality clothing, weaponry, and other material goods.

Spirits can use Dreaming skill (p. 65) to sculpt a smallregion of most Domains. This lets them, for example, cre-ate a home and a figmentary watchdog for it. Generally,they can only make changes thematically suited to theDomain. The GM might allow a resident of Olympus tobuild a small ice mansion on its slopes, but a peppermint-candy bulldozer is right out. The more powerful the spir-it, the larger the region it can affect. Thus, Tyr canDream-sculpt vast sweeps of Asgard with a thought. AValkyrie can change no more than a few square yards ofthe Domain at a time. The Domain’s master has the mostinfluence of all. Not only can it shape the Domain, it canveto any other spirit’s changes, if it so chooses, with a suc-cessful Dreaming roll.

Most Domains are defensible. This is possibly the mostvaluable property of all. Few gods construct an impreg-nable iron dome around their Domain, but neither dogods create unwalled towns with streets broad enough foran army. Spirits in mountain fastnesses or cloud castleshave a better guarantee of surviving from one midnight tothe next than spirits at large in the Marches. Spirits inDomains where the land itself rises against murderershave the best guarantee of all! 103

D O M A I N S

FIGMENTS IN DOMAINSDomains, like dreamscapes, can have figment

inhabitants. Like dreamscape figments (p. 74), theyhave 1 Ethereal Force. If something destroys theDomain, some of its figments might survive andbecome independent entities. Otherwise, they neverleave the Domain. Dream-shaping can transform orannihilate figments associated with a Domain. Manycreated Domains have a small army of figments onhand to serve as front-line troops in the event of anassault on the Domain. When ethereals launch suchattacks, they usually bring a corps of spirits whose soleduty is to Dream-shape figment warriors into allies orpiles of dust.

104D O M A I N S

In the Marches, the only permanent items are arti-facts. This can pose a significant problem for theGM. On the one hand, many ways of flavoring theMarches – from illuminated manuscripts recordingthe thoughts of spirit philosophers to blunt-edgedswords with riddles on their blade – takematerial form. On the other, artifacts inIn Nomine are rare and mighty cre-ations, requiring a significantinvestment on the part of theirmakers.

Game Masters who want tocapture the ever-changingnature of the Marches shouldfocus on this rarity. Craftspirits go to the effort of cre-ating illuminated manu-scripts and blunt-edgedswords because even the sim-plest 1-point artifact is a rareand mighty thing in theMarches. The wealthiest mer-chants trade in knowledge, with acollection of at most two or three pos-sessions at a time. A powerful spirit canhope to own a few keepsakes and mementosof its travels, but treats them with reverence, even ifthey have no practical use. A simple wooden flute (aLevel 1 Artistry talisman with a -1 artifact feature) isa thing of wonder. Spirits kill and die for such things.

Game Masters who want a strong sense of conti-nuity in their game, where spirits carry with themtangible records of their journeys and merchantships groan with cargo, should take a differentapproach. Spirits, including enchanters, pay charac-ter points only for the artifacts they intend to keep.Domains produce up to 20 character points worth ofartifacts per year – though usually no more than oneor two. The craft spirits employed by the Domaincan carve off bits of the Domain and give them tan-gible form, allowing them to create artifacts withoutthe normal cost. The blacksmiths in Hephaestus’forge and the weavers of Rose Point’s “essentialthread” can create many artifacts for their Domain;only when they craft for themselves should the GMcharge a character point cost.

ArmorMany ethereals value protection during combat of

the mind – it isn’t Trauma, but losing ethereal com-bat still hurts. Further, dream-sculpted armor isshowy, but ineffective. Thus, many combative spir-

its seek out and prize armor. Some armor issimply crafted from the proper materials

in the proper Domain, and retains itsProtection even when removed.

Some armor only works in theDomain where it was created.And some armor is actuallyenchanted, a relic bound withstrange variants of the Song ofForm. It is all rare and expen-sive, and a spirit who ownsethereal armor will likely betargeted by greedy thieves.

(Because armor is so valuable,GMs may always create mys-

terious rituals and ingredients,and send player characters to spy

on the master smiths of variousDomains . . .)

Non-Corporeal ArtifactsSome talismans and relics in the Marches have no

corporeal form. These talismans cannot be used savein the Marches, and relics with this Limitation canonly be used when the owner is either in theMarches, Heaven, Hell, or in celestial form. ThisLimitation reduces the total cost of such an artifactby -2 (minimum cost 1 point).

Domain-Only ArtifactsIf a talisman or relic cannot leave the Domain it was

crafted in (or cannot enter any Domain at all, forsomething made out in the gray sands betweenDomains), the total cost of the artifact is reduced by-3, or -4 if the item will be destroyed if removed.(Minimum cost for the artifact is 1 point.) ThisFeature is not cumulative with any negative artifactConvenience Features (see Liber Reliquarum, p.22), nor Non-Corporeal, above.

RAW RESOURCES

Some Domains, and nearly all micro-Domains, appearvery different from outside. From the Marches, a greatcastle might resemble an archway of flowing water. Avast wildland might look like a spirit-sized glowingsphere. Other Domains look exactly like what they are. Amountain oasis can be a mountain rising from the mists,every bit as big on the outside as on the inside.

drEamScapeSEach human mind creates a dreamscape, a reflection in

the Marches of that mind. A dreamscape looks like astrange and gaudy artifact, often reflective – a crystal, abubble, a mirror, an arch, or any of a thousand otherforms. Inside, one can see a flickering representation ofthe human’s mind.

The vast majority of these dreamscapes, at any giventime, float inside the Vale of Dreams. With billions ofhumans in the world, however, a spirit can expect tostumble across one or two dreamscapes in a typical day’stravel in the Far Marches.

When a human sleeps, his dreamscape becomes amicro-Domain – a pocket universe where his dreams arereal. As long as the human remains asleep, spirits andcelestials can enter and manipulate this dreamscape(within the limits described on p. 95), as can the human’sunconscious will. One can look into a dreamscape fromthe outside and see faded images of the contents.

If a human in Beleth’s realm makes a skill roll inside hisdream and succeeds with a check digit of 6, the dream-scape instantly moves to Blandine’s Marches. If a humanin Blandine’s realm fails a skill roll with a check digit of 6,it moves instantly to Beleth’s Marches. Otherwise, thedreamscape drifts almost at random, based on the flow ofevents within the dream. (Dreamscapes in the FarMarches are typically very strange, but neither greatlyuplifting nor troublesome.) Normally, when the humanwakes, the event ejects all intruders in his dream.

Micro-DomainSMany ethereals, unable to find a place in an established

Domain, build themselves a “micro-Domain” as theirheadquarters. This is a tiny region of stable reality, usu-ally no larger than a human house, which the etherealcan use as a shelter, a home base, and a place to keep itspossessions. Three common forms of micro-Domainexist.

The first type is the fabricated micro-Domain – a boat,truck, chicken-legged hut, or other spacious vehicle

manufactured in a Domain but capable of traveling intothe Marches at large. A reasonably competent artisan canmake a vehicle that doesn’t mysteriously eat the cargo orchange shapes while no one is looking. A good craftsmancan make a micro-Domain that abides by consistent nat-ural laws, protecting passengers and cargo from the vicis-situdes of the Marches.

Crafting a micro-Domain requires at least a successfulDream-shaping roll with a check digit higher than 4. (Ifthe GM has the Liber Reliquarum, he may treat this ascrafting an artifact as well, and require an appropriatetime and Enchantment roll.)

The second common form of micro-Domain begins asa human dreamscape. When the human dreamer wakesup, any ethereal present can make a Dreaming roll toprevent the dreamworld from disintegrating. (Thedreamer cannot aid with this, since he is waking up! Hecan prevent it only by ejecting everyone before awaken-ing.) If a spirit succeeds with a check digit of 6, thedreamer wakes and his dreamscape splits – one partbecomes his waking dreamscape, and one part becomesthe spirit’s new micro-Domain. The spirit can remodelto its heart’s content and even “drive” the dreamscape asif it were a conveyance. Unless the spirit is actively mov-ing the dreamscape, however, it hovers in the Marches,absolutely still. Celestials can recognize such unnaturallystill dreamscapes for what they are. Laurence’s Guardians(see p. 120) can spot an ethereal-driven dreamscape if itattempts to buzz past them into or out of the FarMarches. Most spirits believe that making a micro-Domain out of a human’s dream does the human noharm. Heaven suspects that it damages that human’scapacity for dreams, hope, and fear.

Most oases are micro-Domains, although some giantoases are Domains in their own right. As mentioned ear-lier, no one is quite sure where oases come from – spiritsand celestials just stumble across them from time to time,hidden in the mist.

Spirits can “merge” two micro-Domains by spending10 Essence and succeeding at a Dreaming roll. (Anynumber of spirits can contribute Essence. The spirit withthe highest Dreaming skill makes the roll.) The usualresult is a larger micro-Domain, but by cobbling togeth-er many micro-Domains, spirits can create smallDomains. It usually requires decades of work to create aDomain worthy of the name. The Game Master is thefinal authority as to how the micro-Domains integrate inimagery and Features (see below) in each individual case;the result may be a merger of all the previous attributes,one might “swamp” the other, or it could become some-thing almost entirely new! 105

D O M A I N S

Domain FeaturESEvery Domain and micro-Domain has a few quirks

that make it stand out from the pack. Many have signifi-cant positive features, offering benefits to the Domain’smaster or the spirits who live therein. Some have signif-icant negative features. The residents tolerate them onlybecause they cannot find a place anywhere better. OtherDomains are just weird.

The features found below are separate from the natur-al law of the Domain. Domain creators can try to createa Domain with one feature or another, but there is noguarantee of success. (One exception is Hostile, p. 109.Any Domain creator can make an unpleasant Domain.)Many other possible Domain features exist, includinglimited versions of the ones below (e.g., “MalleableWeather” instead of just Malleable, or “DeceitfulSeemings” to fool vision and nothing else).

As a rule of thumb, every full Domain should have atleast one “weird quirk,” and no more than three posi-tive or negative Features. Of course, the farther intothe Far Marches a Domain is, the weirder the quirks,and the more numerous the Features. Removing oradding an established Feature is best done by roleplay-ing; to change the nature of a Domain so profoundly isno easy or mechanical task, but instead requires ascer-taining why the Feature exists, and how to work with-

in the Domain’s internal rulesto alter it. Being a Domain’smaster may make alterationseasier – or impossible.

(And, naturally, a GM maychoose to make “no unusualFeatures” the default conditionfor a Domain. This will makeDomains with unpleasantFeatures less populated, as onlythe dregs will want to live there,and Domains with helpfulFeatures will have many would-be immigrants – and would-beconquerors.)

POSITIVEFEATURES

“I took it for a faery visionOf some gay creatures of the ele-

ment,That in the colors of the rainbow

live,And play i’ th’ plighted clouds.”

– John Milton, “Comus”

Aspected Domain(Uncommon)

One element (p. 22) domi-nates the Domain’s makeup –e.g., “the Snow,” for a Domain

locked in eternal winter. Those within the Domain,when performing the Songs or using the skills associatedwith that element, receive a bonus of +1 to their targetnumber.

Common Tongue (Common)Normally, languages must be learned. In a translating

Domain, the mental concepts behind words will come106D O M A I N S

EXAMPLE OF DOMAIN CREATIONJane is setting up an ethereal campaign. Her players want to start out as the lieu-

tenants of a powerful Far Marches Domain ruler. Jane decides to build two Domainsin close proximity. Right now, they have a tense alliance; it will degenerate over the firstfew sessions into armed conflict. The PCs can either participate in this conflict or tryto prevent it.

Lesser spirits constructed the first Domain, the one Jane plans to make the PCs’home. They joined the first two micro-Domains in 1265. The construct became a trueDomain in 1581, and has grown slowly ever since. Jane decides that this Domain grewa dream-caul on its completion. On the inside is the Six Isles Domain, an archaic landof understated magic and temperate climes. Water surrounds each of the Domain’s sixregions. The only way in or out of the Domain is beneath the water’s surface; at a depthof 50 feet the water gives way to thick blue air. The ocean floor becomes an icy tun-dra. This is the caul. Figmentary wyverns and barbarians dwell here, as well as a fewexiled spirits. Occasionally they emerge to assault the people of the Isles.

A dead god carved Redcap, the other Domain, out of the Marches mists. Bones fromhis ribcage decorate its gate and give this land its strength. The tips of each rib burn,and the element of flame permeates the realm. As for the Domain itself, it takes theform of a necropolis. Spirits who understand the Domain’s laws (with Knowledge:Redcap) can rouse the corpses from their biers and make figmentary zombies. Theycan even disturb the “rest” of residents in Trauma, creating a figment duplicate of theTraumatized spirit. It has only 1 Force but all the spirit’s skills. Spirits who remain inRedcap too long tend to develop the Pallid Discord – not a problem, of course, forthose who do not visit the corporeal world.

The Six Isles have the “Dream-Caul” Feature (p. 108). Redcap has the “AspectedDomain (Flame)” positive Feature (below) and the “Intrusive Domain: Discord(Pallid)” negative Feature (p. 109).

across to anyone who reads or hears them, regardless ofthe actual language. Unlike most other Features, aDomain’s Master can “turn on” translation easily.Turning it off again is sometimes more difficult.

Deceitful (Rare)The Domain lies under a glamour. To see the true

nature of the Domain requires specialized knowledge orequipment. For example, the Domain might reveal itstrue nature if a visitor regards it through a mirror or withbrandy in his eye; if he calls anything in the Domain byits true name; or if he answers a riddle carved into itsgate. Otherwise, everything in the Domain looks andsounds like something else. The speech of spirits mightsound like the hissing of snakes to an outsider. The wallsof a castle might seem like a hill, or a bank of mist, or theempty air.

A Domain can also be susceptible to glamourie, as Faerieis. In such Domains, Dreaming can both create and dis-pel glamours – masking or revealing something withoutactually affecting its true form.

Domain Artifact (Uncommon)The Domain contains a powerful artifact that, for one

reason or another, cannot leave the Domain. TheDomain’s creator or creators must pay character pointsfor this artifact. The artifact Feature “Unable to leaveDomain” is worth -3 points (or -4 if the item will bedestroyed upon removal), so a relic normally worth 18points would be worth 15 (or 14).

Dream Magnet (Uncommon)The Domain attracts dreamscapes in great numbers. A

labyrinthine Domain might attract claustrophobicdreams and dreams of being lost – several a night, evenin the Far Marches. Obviously, dreamscapes pulled intoa Domain are easy prey.

Fierce Figments (Rare)A typical figment in this Domain has 2 Ethereal

Forces. People can still Dream-shape these figmentsaway, taking a fixed penalty between -1 and -6 to theirtarget number.

Healall (Rare)The Domain, built from the stuff of brightest dream,

serves as a balm to those who visit it. They recover Mindand Soul hits at twice the normal rate while within sucha Domain. 107

D O M A I N S

Infinite (Rare)The Domain is millions of times larger on the inside

than on the outside, or even infinitely large in one or sev-eral dimensions. Explorers can travel the Domain foryears without ever seeing its end.

Intrusive Domain: Attunement(Rare)

The Domain can actually change the nature of thespirits who live there, giving them the functional equiva-lent of an attunement. Spirits must spend 10 characterpoints to buy a Domain Attunement. In addition, theDomain’s master must spend five points to issue it tothem. Both costs must be paid. Domain Attunements aremuch rarer than Servitor Attunements, but have as muchvariety and power. The most common DomainAttunement is “Universal Assertion,” which permits aspirit to gain its assertion bonus from that Domain (seep. 132) no matter where it might be.

Spirits cannot normally take Domain Attunements atcharacter generation. The GM can optionally design ashort list of Domain Attunements and make them avail-able to starting PCs in a high-powered game.

Malleable (Uncommon)This is an easy Domain to reshape. When making a

Dreaming roll to change the Domain, the dream-shaperreceives a fixed bonus of between +1 and +6 to the targetnumber.

Mobile (Rare, but Typical for Micro-Domains)

The will of the spirits inside the Domain can move itfrom place to place in the Marches. Each spirit’s willaccelerates the Domain equally, so if three spirits “push”respectively up, down, and sideways, two spirits’ effortscancel out and the Domain moves sideways.

Without this property, a Domain moves through theMarches either randomly or on a course set at the timeof its creation. It also moves more slowly than a mobileDomain.

Micro-Domains are mobile by default, but mobileDomains are rare.

Visible Anchors (Common)The Domain master can sense anchors within its

realm, and destroy them or move them to somewhereelse within its Domain with a successful Will roll.

NEGATIVE FEATURES“The pillar’d firmament is rottenness,And the earth’s base built on stubble.”


Acidic (Rare)The Domain actively unravels those who spend time

therein, draining their life to replenish itself. Any sapientbeing inside the Domain at midnight loses two Mindhits.

Doomed (Uncommon)The Domain faces destruction. It might be fading as

mortals forget its legends. Alternately, a prophecy ofdoom or imminent disaster might hang over its head.Sooner or later, it will become uninhabitable – or vanishcompletely. A Divine (or Infernal) Intervention can bevery bad news in a doomed Domain!

Dream-Caul (Rare)A “caul” made from another reality surrounds the

Domain. To enter the Domain from the Marches, or exitinto the Marches, one must pass through a border realitythat the Domain’s creator did not design. This border-land could be as innocuous as an open prairie or as hos-tile and deadly as Gehenna.

108D O M A I N S

Hostile (Uncommon)Spirits reasonably consider the Domain a hostile envi-

ronment. Destructive weather, ground that tries to swal-low intruders, or deadly curses can all earn a Domainsuch a designation. Unlike most Domain Features, aDomain’s creator can deliberately design a HostileDomain. (It will be hostile for the creator, as well!)

Incomplete Mastery (Rare)The Domain’s master cannot automatically sense or

prevent attempts to use Dreaming within its Domain.Usually, this means that the Domain’s creator deliberate-ly “spread itself thin,” creating a vast and powerfulDomain at the price of reduced control.

Intrusive Domain: Discord (Rare)The Domain can change the nature of the spirits who

live there, distorting them with Discord! Every weekspent within the Domain, a spirit must succeed on a Willroll or gain one level of the appropriate Discord. Thelevel of that Discord the spirit already has serves as abonus to the roll. Therefore, after spending a week in aDomain dominated by rage, a spirit with 8 Will mighthave to roll against a target number of 8 or gain a level ofBerserk. If the spirit fails, it gains Berserk/1, and its nextroll is against a target number of 9. With Berserk/4, itrolls against a target number of 12, and will not gain anyfurther Discord unless God or Lucifer takes an interest.

After character creation, a spirit does not receive char-acter points for Discord received from an intrusiveDomain.

Oasis (Uncommon, but Commonfor Micro-Domains)

The Domain appeared naturally. No spirit crafted it.Accordingly, no spirit rules it! Spirits can find jobs within

an oasis, but no one can formally invest them in theirposition. They therefore receive no assertion bonus.Similarly, they must anchor themselves to the Domainon their own.

Unbound (Rare)Something has cut the Domain loose in time. Every

now and then, it skips “forward” into the future. It van-ishes from the Marches for days or even years and thenreturns. For the spirits inside, no time has passed at all.At the GM’s option, some unbound Domains may occa-sionally skip backward through time, reappearing days oryears before their departure – or it may even “time trav-el” randomly, never vanishing, but replacing itself so thatone can never quite be sure where on the “timeline” itwas last.

MIXED FEATURES“Was I deceiv’d, or did a sable cloudTurn forth her silver lining on the night?”


Bilocational (Rare)The Domain exists in two places in the Marches at

once. Spirits can enter from either location. Exits fromthe Domain lead to one location or the other.

Bonded Mastery (Uncommon)On the one hand, the Master of the Domain can alter

it with a thought, only rolling if another contests thechanges directly. On the other hand, the Domain’s rulercannot leave! Further, the ruler’s moods affect theDomain; depression causes the landscape to becomebleak and forbidding, while anger generates volcanoes,and joy inspires a delightful spring!

Living Domain (Rare)The Domain is alive – it even has a soul (at least as

much as any ethereal being does), complete withCelestial Forces. Sometimes, the Domain has good rela-tions with the spirits who live within it. Other times, thespirits have to bind the Domain to keep it from shakingthem off and eating them. One such Domain sits on theshoulders of a giant, turned by a long-dead god intoimmovable stone. A small colony lives on Fenris Wolf’sback, relying on the wolf’s fierceness to deter their ene-mies and his ribbon-fine chain to keep them alive. 109

D O M A I N S

I have secluded myself from society;and yet I never meant any suchthing. I have made a captive ofmyself and put me into a dungeon,and now I cannot find the key to letmyself out.

– Nathaniel Hawthorne

Multiple Mastery (Rare)The Domain has two or more masters, with two sepa-

rate lines of authority descending from them. A spirit canonly hold a position under one Domain master at a time,and its final loyalties theoretically lie with that master. Atthe same time, the spirit is a resident of both rulers’Domain, and must therefore honor them both.

Primal Force (Rare)Part of the fabric of the Domain has incarnated itself

into a primal force – a guardian or bane of the land. It hasno independent existence and cannot leave the Domain.Within the Domain it has the power of a god. Its behav-ior is predictable. It follows very precise rules. At thesame time, its strength often exceeds that of theDomain’s master. It might be a monster in the hills guar-anteed to ravage the Domain if not given sacrifices ofsome kind. It might be a “moral guardian” of the

Domain, working unstoppable justice on those who vio-late its tenets. (This may include such things as torturingthe wicked, binding the foolish into the shapes of don-keys, or demanding responsibility from those whoseactions have caused harm.) It might be the local incarna-tion of death, coming for those “killed” in ethereal com-bat, who, by the Domain’s laws, cannot pass into uncon-scious dispersion until its arrival. Just as even the godsmust bow to death, and even the Archangels must bow toGod, the Domain master can rarely oppose this primalforce in the execution of its duties.

Canonically, although these creatures have powerrivaling the weakest greater gods, they have no CelestialForces. They therefore have no true free will, cannotengage in celestial combat, cannot use Celestial Songs,and cannot hear the Symphony. Like inanimate objects,they cannot be affected by powers directed against theirWill.110

D O M A I N S

Quirky (Ubiquitous)The stuff of dreams is rarely logical, and only the rarest

Domain is without a few weird attributes. These mayinclude visual effects: a constant mist obscures everythingbeyond two paces; everything appears as a shade of green;artifacts shine with their power. The quirks may be audi-ble: a constant chirruping of invisible, intangible crickets;the chime of bells whenever someone takes a step; softweeping whenever someone is alone. They may be physi-cal: the world is an ocean; the fish-figments soar on feath-ered wings; houses grow upside down from hillsides.

Regenerates (Rare)When manipulated physically or with Dreaming, the

Domain slowly returns to its previous state. Figmentinhabitants come back from the dead. Breached wallsrepair themselves. Trees cut down grow back in a matterof hours. Homes created by Dream-shaping dissolve awayovernight. Homes destroyed with Dreaming reappear.

Serendipitous/Hidden (Uncommon)A Serendipitous Domain has a tendency to be located

exactly where someone looking for it thinks it will be.This gives an ethereal navigation modifier on attempts tolocate the Domain of +1 to +4. Moreover, SerendipitousDomains are unusually easy to discover by those failingtheir roll to locate somewhere else. Hidden Domains,

conversely, have an ethereal navigation modifier of -1 to-4. Spirits discover such Domains “by accident” onceevery few centuries, at most.

Sticky (Rare)Spirits automatically succeed when attempting to

anchor themselves to the Domain. It’s breaking the linkthat’s difficult – once anchored to the Domain, the spiritis at a -2 penalty to the target number when anchoringitself elsewhere. A Domain ruler must make a Will roll,at the same penalty, to successfully grant the spirit resi-dency elsewhere. It will not be aware of failure unless itsDomain possesses the Visible Anchors property.

Time Effects (Common)The Domain runs at a faster (or slower!) time than the

rest of the Marches. (Essence is still gained at “Marchesmidnight,” though!) This effect may not be regular,either – exciting times may be sped up while boringevents drag past, allowing someone to spend Domain-years meditating while only a single night passes by, orvice versa, causing a battle to last for multiple midnights(and therefore multiple Essence replenishments).

Transcendental (Unknown)The Domain exists on a different level of reality than

the Marches. If God started out as a spirit, Heaven andHell would be a single Transcendental Domain. Spiritsdo not know of any such Domains, and they definitely donot know how to construct such Domains, but they keeplooking!

Young (Rare)The creation of the Domain is incomplete. Its physical

law is not yet set in stone. Like unfired clay, it remainsextremely vulnerable to the artist’s touch. When some-one succeeds on a Dreaming roll within the Domainwith a natural check digit of 6, an amplified version of theeffect spreads throughout the Domain. When someonefails a Dreaming roll with a natural check digit of 6, thesame thing happens – but the effect is twisted into amalevolent form.

For example, if a spirit trying to create a garden suc-ceeds with a natural check digit of 6, the whole Domainmight burst into glorious bloom. If a visiting luciddreamer tries to conjure up a sword and fails with a nat-ural check digit of 6, he might instead summon a hostilelegion of sword-bearing figments! The Domain mastercannot overrule such changes. 111

D O M A I N S

LAB 26Somewhere in the Far Marches is a Domain

once ruled by the Ice Queen, thief of children’sability to love. Formerly a dark fairy-tale realm,it is now (secretly) in the possession of a group ofVapulans who use it for various experiments (see Superiors 4: Rogues to Riches, p. 128).However, though the demons have warped theDomain with their own biases – the figment-monsters have syringes and jetpacks instead offangs and wings – they are affected in turn, theirpersonalities warping into dark fantasy arche-types of royalty, knights, and stepmothers. TheLaboratory Director, a Balseraph, is now rarelyseen; when she does appear, she seems more andmore like the Ice Queen she slew. If the Lab isnot closed, perhaps the line between etherealsand celestials will be studied more closely thanthe resident demons would like . . .

112R E S T L E S S D R E A M S

ReStlESSdreamS

DESTINYThe uncomfortable silence held for seven minutes and

change.“I’m sorry,” Hesemyhel said. “I didn’t know he was here in

peace.”“Neither did I,” Jasphiel answered, “and I didn’t kill him.”“Ethereals are dangerous. My Bright Lord says so. We can’t

allow them to get any kind of foothold on Earth.”“Or in this coffee shop.”“Or . . . yeah. In this coffee shop.”“He just wanted to know his destiny.”“Hm?”“He knew there was an angel of Destiny who worked here.

He came because he wanted to know. I don’t even know if hewanted to achieve it or just had some kind of philosophical con-cern. But he wanted to know.”

“What was it?”“I couldn’t tell,” Jasphiel admitted. “I don’t have that

attunement.”“Oh.” Hesemyhel prodded the corpse with his foot. “Well, it’s

just a vessel. He’ll probably be all right.”

The Marches are populated primarily with dream spir-its and dreamers, but they are not alone. Angels, demons,gods, and other beings can all be found here, carrying theWar to the ethereal plane or pursuing their own agendas.

Ethereal RelationSEthereal spirits are the native inhabitants of the

Marches. They coexist, but not harmoniously. They mayband together for mutual support or even out of friend-ship, but an ethereal spirit’s worst enemy is often its ownkind.

Unlike celestials, ethereals have no unifying goals. TheWar is irrelevant to most of them (see p. 121), and theyhave no supreme leaders, no Seraphim Council or othergoverning body. They are much like humans; fragment-ed into countless tribes, often solitary, working at cross-purposes more often than not. Some megalomaniacalspirits dream of rallying the whole of the ethereal realmunder one banner – to throw celestials out of theMarches, to bring down Yahweh, to reclaim Earth, orjust to worship the would-be leader – but such a degreeof unification is no more practical in the Marches than itis on Earth. Spirits are a contentious lot, and often haveless in common with one another than the averagehuman does with a person from another country.

If there’s anything all spirits have in common, it’s a desire to grow and become more powerful, and a

simultaneous fear of being consumed by a more power-ful spirit. Every ethereal is a potential predator, and everyethereal knows what it’s like to be prey.

ALLIANCESThere are a number of reasons for ethereals to coop-

erate. Ethereal alliances may be brief conveniences, orbonds as deep as their strands, lasting millennia. Theyare significant to player characters because an etherealspirit with no allies is in a very dangerous position.Players should give some thought to their characters’relations with other spirits. A typical ethereal campaignwill have the PCs allied in some fashion.

GangsMost spirits are weak individually, particularly com-

pared to celestials. This motivates them to band togeth-er for mutual protection and/or predation. These“gangs,” like human gangs on Earth, may become quitea potent force, but are more likely to fight rival etherealgangs than celestials. (Any gang of ethereals thatbecomes a serious problem for Heaven or Hell drawsmore celestial attention than it can survive.) Being madeup of many different kinds of ethereals, they don’t holdtogether well unless they have a very strong and charis-matic leader. Ethereal gangs can mostly be found in theFar Marches; a few even have their own Domains. Anethereal gang is the easiest way to bring diverse PCstogether, but without an external threat to unite against,it will be hard to keep them together.


ETHEREAL SOCIETYThere is no “overarching” society of ethereal spir-

its, beyond that which their nature as strand-wovenentities grants them. Various Domains have laws(both dictated by rulers and innate to the Domain),and perhaps relations with other Domains, but anethereal cop answers more to its own Image than theFar Marches Highway Patrol. For all that manyDomains and pantheons profess to rules and civilizedbehavior, the bulk of the Marches is a no-spirit’s-land, and what happens there . . . is known only tothose to whom it happens, and to those who make ithappen.


The Archangel of Purity’s crusade against thenatives of the Marches wiped out some pantheonscompletely and decimated others. No one is exact-ly sure who’s dead and who’s hiding; the wary godsconceal their strengths – or weaknesses. Still, thestrongest among them are active, both in theMarches and in attempts to reach Earth andencourage worship. The following groups are con-sidered the least affected by the Purity Crusade,and even they are less powerful than they were.

The Aesir: Due to Odin’s canny retreat and forti-fication of the Bifrost Bridge, the Norse gods gotoff “lightly.” They lost only Thor – last seen hold-ing off six Malakim – and many of the souls andlesser spirits who populated their “afterlife.”However, this defensive tactic has made it hard forthem to recruit new worshipers; they have fewdefenders to spare, and rarely risk their fortifica-tions to let spirits travel in or out of the Domain.

Faerie: Though they lost many outposts, theSeelie and Unseelie Courts are rebuilding theirnumbers and still have minor Tethers, but theirrelative prosperity is the result of their bargainswith Beleth. They do, indeed, pay their Teind toHell (preferably with human dreamshades or evenliving mortals, instead of their own numbers).

The Olympians: The Greek gods suffered bothduring the Crusade and in its aftermath, losingmost of their aggressive members: Zeus, Ares, andHades are all gone (leaving Athena andPersephone as the major rulers of Mount Olympusand Erebus), while Hermes has vanished andApollo become a hermit. Poseidon, too, has beenseen vary rarely since Athena bested him for theleaders’ mantle.

The Aztecs: Time is a funny thing in the FarMarches; in particular, Purity claimed to haveseverely damaged the bloodthirsty gods of theAztecs – long before their apparent power wanedin the corporeal realm. Naturally, the modern-daysurvivors find refuge with Beleth; they renddreamscapes for Essence, apparently with littleambition for anything greater again.

Native American spirits: If the Amerindian ethe-reals had not been kept from Earth, perhaps theGhost Dance would have worked . . . Still, theypersist in attempting to return, often as animals. It

is rumored that Jordi, Archangel of Animals,favors some of these spirits, gifting them withEssence.

The Dreamtime Spirits: The worst damage tothese ethereals was done mundanely, but celestialsinterfered with their attempts to visit Earth andrescue themselves. They fade, slowly, amidst theirown dreams of the time when they walked at willin Australia. Some of them, however, remembertheir legend-history of how the ancestors createdhumans, animals, and all else. And some of themmurmur that they could reclaim their power andmore, as Yahweh did. If only they could re-createthe myths, plunge the continent into the Marches,and reshape it to their wills . . .

The Heliopolitans: While Isis and Set remain rel-atively powerful (seeding New Age books withworship rites), Osiris, Horus, and many otherEgyptian gods are gone. Others, such as Bast andAnubis, simply fade. Anubis and Set are bothrumored to be in contact with Saminga’s minions,either hoping for some residual gratitude orattempting to barter further refinements of mum-mification to the Demon Prince of Death.

The August Prosperity Collective: The Shinto kamiare known to have made deals with Nybbas, theDemon Prince of the Media, seeking to garner themore diffuse Essence of fantasy instead of rekin-dling worship. (There are rumors that the appear-ance of “angelic” imagery in anime and manga arethe kami’s attempt to subvert Heaven’s natives intotheir own Domain’s aegis!)

The Loas: Through loa meddling, or humanadaptability, syncretistic religions such as Voudounand Santeria have straddled the divide betweenHeavenly and ethereal religions. (See p. 66 of theGame Master’s Guide.)

The Hindu GodsThese gods were hardly touched during the

Purity Crusade – either because the faith thatspawned them was also a Divine religion, or (assome ethereals snigger) because even Uriel wasafraid of the power that the Hindu gods couldcommand.

THE OLD GODS

TribesEthereal tribes (p. 17) are made up of spirits sharing

the same Image or general motif. They function muchlike gangs, but they are also explicitly trying to fosterbelief amongst humanity, so as to increase their Essence.Tribes differ from gangs in that they have an intrinsicreason to band together, and are more likely to remainloyal to one another even without a strong leader. Theyalso are much more concerned with humanity (and thusmay be more likely to attract celestial attention). Sometribes also join larger gangs, and tribes often war withone another much as gangs do (the Benevolent SpaceBrothers, for example, are rivals of the Greys – see theLiber Servitorum). An ethereal tribe is certainly a viableoption for player characters, but it will require that theyall be members of that tribe, or have some reason to allywith it, which may limit some character concepts.

PantheonsThe most famous and powerful tribes of the Marches,

of course, are pantheons (see p. 85). Pantheons are themost potent forces native to the Marches. No one wantsto cross the Olympians or the Asgardians, even in theirweakened state. If the GM allows gods as player charac-ters, a pantheon-based campaign has as much potentialrange as a celestial one; it might be a gritty, metaphoricaltale of fading gods trying to stay alive in the modern age,or a sweeping epic of deities who war against Heaven andHell.

Domain AffiliationsSome Domains foster cooperation among their inhab-

itants, and some actually recruit new “citizens.” Thesemay be Domains ruled by ideological rulers, or they maybe mercenaries who offer benefits in return for services(or just a monthly Essence tithe). Being a “citizen” of apowerful Domain is much like being a member of a pow-erful gang; this may or may not extend to offering pro-tection outside the Domain, but at the very least, havinga safe place to anchor (p. 18) is worth a great deal to mostspirits.

RIVALRYIn the Marches, anyone who isn’t your friend is a

potential enemy. Not all ethereals are immediately hos-tile to strangers, and not all of them want to prey onweaker spirits . . . but it’s a common enough practice tomake the Marches a generally paranoid place. Besidesfear of ethereal predators (see below), there’s reason to

fear angels, Tsayadim, Beleth’s servants, and territorialdeities and other Domain rulers. Given the fact that any-one can appear to be anyone else in the Marches, trust isas rare among spirits as traps and tricksters are common.

While this atmosphere of paranoia may seem to makefor a gloomy setting, remember that spirits who knoweach other, or have some common bond (such as beingmembers of a tribe, or citizens of the same Domain) maybe quite friendly and trusting (once they’ve establishedeach others’ identities, of course . . .). Still, only the mostpowerful spirits are immediately friendly with strangers;no one else can afford to forget that the most innocuousdream-spirit might tomorrow be trying to devour yourvery essence.

PREDATIONFew powerful ethereals are active predators; at a cer-

tain point, eating other spirits is less effective, and lesssatisfying, than trying to increase one’s potency by othermeans. Most predators are potent in their area of exper-tise, which is dream-eating (see p. 17), but not many havea lot of extra Forces, nor do they usually make well-rounded characters.

Many of the most successful ethereals started out as“dream-stalkers,” however. These hunters prowl theMarches, hunting for figments or the occasional weakspirit that’s slipped out of a Domain. Some hunt insideDomains, but this is risky unless the Domain has norulers or defenders. The most bountiful prey is to befound in the Vale of Dreams, of course – there, humandreamscapes swarm in the millions, and figments areconstantly emerging from them, usually to fade or besquashed by Servitors of Blandine or Beleth. But this isalso the riskiest hunting ground; most dream-eaters areonly daring enough to skirt the edges of the Vale, hopingto catch a stray figment and not a stray Malakite ofDreams.

Some spirits are embarrassed by their past as an ethe-real cannibal. Others accept it as part of the naturalorder. A few revel in it, and even continue to devour weakspirits when the opportunity presents itself.Consumption of disobedient minions, vanquished rivals,and anyone who’s irritated a powerful spirit is common-place even at the upper levels of ethereal society. Whilethere are ethereals who don’t like living in an “eat-or-be-eaten” environment, it’s never far from their thoughts.And few spirits can claim never to have indulged in a“snack” when an obnoxious stray figment crossed theirpaths . . .



Many “relations” between pantheons dependentirely on who’s doing the bargaining withwhom, individually. (E.g., trickster gods havea tendency to gang up on everyone else,only squabbling with each other afterlaughing themselves sick at the jokesthey’ve played, while Anansi the spider-god is fond of the spiderish Domain(You Are Here, p. 114) that some believespawned it.) Those spirits who havealliances with major celestials are alsomore likely to be treacherous or hostileto their ethereal brethren – perhaps tolong-term tactical disadvantage – lest theylose patronage. Nevertheless, there areofficial positions and preferences.

The Aesir are mostly isolationist, thoughOdin will deal with anyone if it benefits him inthe long run. Despite the problems they’ve had,there are rumors that the Norse gods are regainingworshipers, and this expectation of new Essence andpersonal power (which they would not want to share)is why they are so standoffish.

The Faerie are rarely considered to be in the sameleague with the other pantheons. The Celts knew theFair Folk were not spirits to be trifled with, and theircurrent status puts them on a more even footing withtheir rivals. Still, gods who once had temples, andeven entire cities, dedicated to them tend to lookdown on creatures which the modern mortals view ascute little pixies with butterfly wings. The Sidhe donot appreciate this lack of respect, of course, andsome gods have come to regret taking them lightly.

The Olympians have always welcomed any othergods or pantheons who cared to bow to Zeus. Athenacontinues in this tradition, though the favors they canoffer are much smaller than before. Primarily, there isan often-uncertain alliance maintained with theHeliopolitans, by Isis’ will. (Others of the Egyptianpantheon are less impressed with the Greek gods.)

The Aztecs, lackeys (or lapdogs) of Nightmares, arehostile to everyone else, and bitter about the lack ofblood to feed them. There are occasional covertexceptions.

Native American spirits are stoic, either fading withwhat dignity and honor they can, or embracing andenhancing their animal-manifestations and fueling

the rumors that they are trying to cut adeal with Jordi, the Archangel of

Animals. (There are, of course, somany different Native Americanspirits that exceptions abound; sodo battles over Images.)

The Dreamtime spirits are gener-ally not powerful enough to offermuch to an alliance with anyoneelse. They are also hard-pressedto guard themselves against beingeaten for their Essence by aprospective ally. Many other ethe-

reals fear the radical Australianspirits’ talk of regaining the world –

where would that leave other pan-theons?The Heliopolitans do their best to main-

tain tattered glory; many of them seemunable to believe (or unwilling to admit) that theirtime in the sun is over, or that they might have to doanything else to survive. Isis maintains relations withthe Olympians, but seems unwilling to consider morethan brief alliances with others.

The August Prosperity Collective appear friendlyenough, but elements of other religions (filteredthrough the kami mindset) tend to appear in mangaand anime. The kami claim this is due to unfortunate“executive decisions” by Nybbas or his minions, but itmakes others nervous, suspecting that the kami aretrying to soften up other gods’ Images, the better toadd them to their Collective.

The Loas are also very friendly, but their obvious (toethereals) attempt to take the Image of celestials fortheir own makes the other pantheons even more waryof them than of the kami. (For even if they are notplanning to consume other pantheons, their powernow rides partly on the coattails of Heaven. Mightthey not betray “allies” to the celestials they are nowtied to?)

The Hindu gods are the most aloof of the pantheons.Many ethereals believe the Hindus despise them andhope to “ignore them to death.” Some suspect Shivaand his cohorts of more active malice . . . like betray-ing occasional ethereal Tethers to the angels, just toharm their rivals with minimum effort.

PANTHEONIC RELATIONS

CeleStialS in the MarcheS

Ethereals probably outnumber all celestials put togeth-er, and they certainly outnumber all the angels anddemons in the Marches by a vast ratio. But few can denythat celestials are the most powerful force in theMarches. Individually, an angel or a demon can usuallytake on spirits totaling several times his Forces withoutdifficulty, and their willingness to engage in celestialcombat makes them particularly fearsome. There areethereals who are a match for celestials, but they are rare.Even rarer are spirits who are a match for a powerfulcelestial, let alone a Word-bound one . . . and weak celes-tials rarely venture into the Far Marches. Moreover, if anangel or demon gets mugged inthe Marches, his friends will soonshow up to squash the etherealswho dared offer this affront toHeaven or Hell.

(While there are denizens of theMarches who claim that thepower of celestials is exaggerated,the fact still remains that thePurity Crusade broke the powerof many gods. Even ethereals whohave never seen an angel or demonwill cower at the thought of beingconfronted by one – whether ornot it’s really more powerful!)

Thus, most spirits regard celes-tials as dangerous rivals if notactively hostile, and want as littleto do with them as possible. Theexceptions are privileged hon-orees, bootlicking sell-outs, or sui-cidal maniacs, depending on whoyou ask.

CELESTIAL RELATIONSThe majority of celestials encountered in the Marches

serve Beleth or Blandine, but other Superiors occasion-ally have reason to send a Servitor to the ethereal plane.Most ethereals don’t distinguish between the servants ofdifferent Archangels and Demon Princes; only a feweven have a working knowledge of celestial politics.However, some have cultivated a relationship (friendly,neutral, or hostile) with particular Superiors. Below is abrief summary of the dealings each Superior has withethereals, if any, and what sort of a reputation that

Superior has among knowledgeable spirits (which willaffect what sort of reception their Servitors might expectin the Far Marches . . .).

ArchangelsBlandine: Every ethereal knows who the Archangel of

Dreams is. Her servants are loathed by predators who seehumanity as a big Essence farm, but most others are neu-tral toward her. Blandine isn’t much interested in ethere-als except when they threaten humans. A few spirits haveeven cultivated good relationships with angels ofDreams, helping to keep hostile spirits out of the Vale.This sort of relationship only works when the spirit ismotivated by genuine benevolence, though; those whothink they might be rewarded with Essence or the privi-lege of taking a few corporeal liberties are turned away

(and usually seek Beleth instead).David: David considers the ethe-

real realm peripheral to his Word,and doesn’t encourage his Servitorsto spend much time there. He’staken a “live and let live” attitudetoward ethereals who don’tencroach on Heaven’s territory, orcause harm to humanity. While nospirit would consider David friend-ly, his Servitors are less threateningthan most angels.

Dominic: The Archangel ofJudgment is the one who laid downthe law forbidding ethereals tocome to Earth. That and hisenforcement of orthodox monothe-ism mean that Dominican angelsare feared and loathed in equalmeasure – though not as much asLaurencian ones (see below), forthe Judges rarely venture into the

Far Marches. Instead, triads are more corporeal threats.Rumors that Dominic has sometimes collaborated withspirits, much as he does with the Game, are no doubtmalicious lies spread by either ethereals or Asmodeus . . .

Eli: Eli spent a fair amount of time in the Marches, andaccording to some accounts, had close relations withmany of the old gods, back before he helped buildmonotheism. (Rumors that his relations didn’t end thenare among the many that Dominic is investigating.)Servitors of Creation are considered to be among the fewangels with whom ethereals can deal in good faith, butgods with long memories despise Eli and his Servitorsnonetheless, for his promotion of the Yahweh cult. 117

R E S T L E S S D R E A M S

Gabriel: Gabriel is admired by ethereals, but she isalso feared. Her volcano is a glowering presence on theMarches horizon, and spirits regard her as the most ele-mental manifestation of God’s power. She is visionaryand inspiring, a spark seen in millions of dreamscapes,and thus she has indirectly given life to a multitude ofdream-spirits herself. But she is also a deadly instrumentof Yahweh, and wise ethereals steer clear of herServitors.

Janus: Not much seen in the Marches, angels of theWind are willing to deal with ethereals on an individualbasis. A daring and clever spirit with a sense of honormay win the respect of a Servitor of Janus, and viceversa. Like other “elemental” Archangels, Janus shares agreat deal in common with many primal spirits, and sothey see him as a kindred spirit, albeit a member of theenemy camp. If Heaven needs something “acquired”from a pagan god, or from Beleth’s side of the Marches,angels of the Wind are the ones usually sent, and for thisreason, some of them cultivate relations with etherealallies.

Jean: Most of Jean’s research is grounded in the cor-poreal realm, but he’s had occasional secretive projectsin the ethereal plane; perhaps he values imagination andintuition more than he’s given credit for. Jean has littletolerance for ethereal spirits, however; his Servitors usu-

ally enforce Heaven’s ban on ethere-al visits to Earth quite strictly. Jeanmight authorize dealing with ethere-als for a particular bit of knowledgeor something else he needs, butangels of Lightning are otherwiseinstructed to limit their contact withthe capricious spirits of the Marches.

Jordi: Animals dream, but Jorditrusts Blandine to protect theirdreams as she does those of human-ity. The Archangel of Animals does-n’t consider spirits good or bad; theyjust are. He rarely has reason to dealwith them, but he doesn’t care if hisServitors befriend them, and someget along quite well with animalspirits.

Laurence: Ethereals hate noArchangel more than Laurence, withthe exception of his former master,Uriel. Laurence has commanded thatall of his Servitors enforce the edictagainst ethereals on Earth; they areto be hunted and evicted. He allowsno “arrangements” to be made withethereals, and does not sanction tem-

porary alliances. The presence of an angel of the Swordpractically guarantees a breakdown in negotiationswhere ethereals are involved.

Marc: Marc has a pragmatic view toward ethereals,and is known to have a few channels open for commu-nicating with potent spirits and pagan gods. If angelswant to negotiate something in the Marches, Servitorsof Trade know whom to talk to, and ethereals know thatMarc is the one to go to if they want to negotiate withthe Host.

Michael: The Archangel of War is uncompromisingabout keeping ethereals in their place . . . but as long asthey know their place, he’s willing to leave them be. Heeven respects some of the old gods, a little. To ethereals,Michael is the boot that grinds them under Jehovah’sfoot – albeit not the blade of genocide they deemLaurence. A number of war gods and spirits of Struggleadmire Michael nonetheless, and those who hateLucifer’s minions have even allied with angels of War onoccasion.

Novalis: Novalis is kind to ethereal spirits, naturally.Her angels never harm those who aren’t harming any-one else. Spirits discovered on Earth will be “encour-aged” to return to the Marches, but Flowers’ agentsrefuse to use violence to force them off the corporeal118


THE ISLAMIC DJINNIn folklore, it is said that the Arabian djinn (or genies, or ifrit) sometimes

embraced Islam as a religion. They would answer the commands of sor-cerers who spoke in the name of Allah, and were bound by the Seal ofSolomon.

The truth is quite complex. Undoubtedly, some of the rumors relate tothe demonic Band of Djinn, and members who redeemed. Others stemfrom ethereals who sought to adopt the beliefs of the conquering “pan-theon” of angels, during the Purity Crusade. In particular among the “con-verts” were those who knew that Khalid, Angel of Faith and Servitor ofUriel, favored Islam – and that becoming a Muslim required only sincere-ly uttering the shahada, “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is themessenger of God.”

Naturally, as Angel of Faith and Elohite of Purity, Khalid frowned uponfalse protestations of conversion, and struck down converts of conve-nience. Yet there are tales of Domains where the ethereals worship Allahwith sincere fervor; considering the Archangel of Faith’s intolerancetoward the spirits of the Marches, such beings would have to be devoutindeed if they actually exist. Indeed, Muslim ethereals would be just as dan-gerous to their fellows, if not more so, than the oft-feared (but rarely seen)Tsayadim . . .

plane, however much Dominic scolds her. Her Servitorsaren’t common in the Marches, but they get as friendlya reception as any angel can expect in ethereal Domains. . . except from those spirits foolish enough to equatekindness with weakness.

Yves: Yves has said that ethereal spirits may have fatesand destinies too, making them a part of God’s plan. Buthe hasn’t assigned any of his angels to minister to ethe-reals, which most take to mean that ethereal fates anddestinies are irrelevant to mankind. His angels general-ly take a neutral stance toward ethereals, who regardYves with a mixture of awe, unease, and contempt.

Demon PrincesAndrealphus: Andrealphus has had cozy relations

with certain love and fertility deities . . . but always withthe “partner” in a subordinate position. Some of hisServitors satisfy their more exotic desires in theMarches, so there are ethereal “brothels” which cater todemons of Lust. Most ethereal gods know thatAndrealphus is a user and abuser, but some consider hima better master than Beleth.

Asmodeus: The Game’s Prince is concerned withkeeping ethereals in their place. He’s quite willing togrant corporeal privileges to subservient lackeys, but theGame will destroy any ethereal they find on Earth who’snot in league with Hell. Asmodeus is believed to have anetwork of ethereal spies who report goings-on in the

Marches to him; he does seem awfully well-informedabout Beleth’s activities . . .

Baal: Baal was once worshiped as a god; etherealsclaim he was a god, just like them, and only became acelestial when he threw in with Yahweh (and subse-quently rebelled). The old gods regard Baal with mixedfeelings – his sentiments toward God are similar totheirs, but he treats them as inferiors in no uncertainterms. Nonetheless, demons of the War occasionallyally with warlike spirits. They’ve even conducted a fewjoint operations to ambush angels in the Marches.

Beleth: Of course, the Demon Princess ofNightmares has the greatest presence in the Marches.Many ethereals serve her, receiving protection andEssence in exchange for obedience. Those who choosenot to serve her, she leaves alone . . . as long as they don’taid the Host, and don’t poach in her territory. Demonsof Nightmares are usually treated with respect in theMarches. The respect may be mixed with loathing, butfew spirits dare to be openly hostile to Beleth’s servants.

Belial: Things don’t burn well on the ethereal plane,so Belial has little interest in that realm. His Servitorssometimes invade the Marches just to light up a fewdreamscapes, torch some spirits, and harass angels. Thisearns them a lot of enmity from ethereals, and few spir-its would see much point in dealing with Belial.

Haagenti: A few demons of Gluttony have adoptedHunger spirits as “pets,” and some of Haagenti’s ser-vants enjoy bullying ethereals. For this, they have a bad

reputation, being among the worst of celestialpredators. Haagenti finds real consumptionmuch more satisfying than dreams of consump-tion, though, so his Servitors aren’t often seen inthe Marches.

Kobal: A lot of twisted jokes have originatedin the Marches, but Kobal disdains Beleth toomuch to make use of this resource very often.The darker trickster spirits sometimes ask Kobalfor support – which he provides, but usually insuch a way that the spirit gets expended – thenKobal has a laugh. Demons of Dark Humor aregood at ingratiating themselves with etherealswhen they want something, but the wiser spiritsknow never to trust Kobalites.

Kronos: Kronos is concerned with humanfates, and doesn’t care about ethereals. HisServitors are free to use ethereal spying missionsor spirit minions to accomplish their goals, butspending too much time in the Marches is gen-erally considered unproductive in Kronos’ orga-nization. Ethereals know that Kronos dismissesthem, and are just as glad of it. 119


WHEN TO RUN, WHEN TO DEAL

The first instinct of any wise ethereal, confronting anangel, is to run. With demons, a bit of groveling is inorder while one looks around for the back door.However, some angels will deal, and some demons arebetter than others. For instance, Novalis is just plain nice;Lilith will cut deals without even blinking; and Michaelwill use any tool he deems necessary, and an ethereal(especially one who doesn’t try to claim God is just anoverpowered spirit) can be useful – though ethereals arealso good cannon-fodder.

Because of these exceptions, it’s possible for ethereals tofind employment with celestials as cat’s paws, allies, orjust supporting roles. Still, between hardline angels andsadistic demons, it’s always a good idea for a wise ethere-al to keep a few tricks up its sleeve and know where theexits are.

Lilith: Lilith, naturally, deals extensively with ethere-als, sometimes even sending “ambassadors” to majorDomains. Many of the old gods owe her favors, but so domany lesser ethereals. Spirits who are afraid to deal withdemons directly will deal with Lilith, because they knowshe can get some other demon to do what the spiritwants. She is Hell’s most accessible face, and because ofthat, she’s welcomed in most Domains, and Lilim (par-ticularly free Lilim) are more likely to be given the ben-efit of the doubt by ethereals.

Malphas: The Prince of Factions talks to ethereals;more than once, he’s convinced some bitter coterie offading gods that he understands their anger and wants tohelp them strike back at the Host. Of course, he usesthem, sets them against ethereals who aren’t cooperative,or just foments divisions between and among pantheons.

Nybbas: Nybbas is powerful in the Marches; he is sec-ond only to Beleth in his patronage of ethereals. Inexchange for cooperation, he will promote etherealImages in the media. Those who displease him vanishfrom the public eye. Thus, he can strengthen or weakenany spirits he likes . . . but human Essence isn’t channeledexclusively through the Media, however much Nybbaspretends otherwise, and some of the old gods resist histemptations.

Saminga: Bereft of imagination, Saminga regards all spirits as figments, inconsequential and uninteresting.Some demons of Death once tried establishing “DeathDomains” in the Marches, places of transcendent horrorwhich they could use as inspiration for massacres onEarth. While the Domains were successfully created, the demons were unable to do more than spawn a few

nightmares; they abandoned the Domains and the spiritscreated by them.

Valefor: Demons of Theft usually go to the Marchesto steal things, such as artifacts or information. Spiritsdon’t trust Valefor’s Servitors, for good reason, but theydo sometimes make deals with Theft, either for jointheists or to have something stolen from the corporealplane (or from angels).

Vapula: Vapula conducts a little research in theMarches, but he treats ethereals much the same way hetreats humans: as test subjects. There are occasionallyexchanges of ideas and artifacts between Vapulans andartifice spirits, but most ethereals stay far away fromdemons of Technology.

ENCOUNTERING THE HOSTAngels rarely get a friendly reception in the Marches.

Those who have the greatest presence, Servitors ofBlandine and Laurence, are considered to be there forthe express purpose of keeping ethereals in line. In fact,the angels who guard the Marches are mostly concernedwith protecting humans in the territory Heaven hasstaked out; even Laurence’s March Guardians rarely pur-sue the spirits they drive away. But occasionally, a fewangels will come hunting for ethereals who’ve madeHeaven’s “wanted” list . . . and these teams deliveringdivine vengeance have been known to dispense thatvengeance rather indiscriminately, figuring that it’s goodto put a little fear of God into the Far Marches now andthen. Thus, when spirits see angels coming, they expecttrouble, and either hide or prepare for battle.120


There are exceptions; a few spirits have been coopera-tive with Heaven, and occasionally an Archangel willwant to deal with a pagan god, for information or an arti-fact or a favor. Since ethereals can’t travel to Heaven,angelic emissaries must travel to the Marches to conducttheir business. If invited, such messengers will be givensafe passage through the god’s Domain, and he may evenprovide a guide through the Marches. Angels who showup unexpectedly, asking to talk to someone in theMarches, must overcome a lot of built-in fear and resent-ment. First they have to convince the spirits that theyhaven’t been sent to smite someone. Then they have toconvince the spirits that there’s some reason they’d wantto cooperate with angels.

There are spirits who hang around the Near Marches,ready to be helpful to angels, in exchange for Essence(and for the protection from predators that hoveringclose to angels provides). These spirits are weak andrarely know anyone important in the Marches, but they’llat least know their way around and can act as guides. Ifmore specific and influential assistance is needed, anangel would be wise to consult an experienced “etherealnegotiator.” Blandine’s servants do have a few contacts,though they are loathe to share them with Servitors ofother Archangels. Marc is known to do some businesswith the gods, and can probably provide a guide if suc-cessfully petitioned. Other Archangels have few contacts,and only with spirits whose interests are aligned withtheirs. Laurence’s Guardians are often quite knowledge-able about local spirits and ethereal politics . . . butthey’re not likely to admit that they actually know anyethereals.

DIABOLICAL ENCOUNTERSLike angels, demons are feared in the Marches, but

they’re more likely to find spirits willing to negotiatewith them. Hell is known to be a place of self-interest,and if Hell wants something from the Marches, there willbe spirits willing to provide it. Some ethereals are auto-matically hostile to any minions of Lucifer (“Yahweh’sFallen handmaiden”), but most will hear what a demonhas to say. Of course, since they expect demons to be self-ish, treacherous, and exploitative, they’ll demand every-thing they can possibly get away with for any service.

Ethereals in thrall to Beleth are always friendly (or atleast “friendly”) to her Servitors, and even those who’veremained independent rarely dare to offend a demon ofNightmares. Demons seeking guides or favors in theMarches will have the best luck if they can get a demonof Nightmares to help them. Lilith can always find anethereal to help . . . for a price. Servitors of the Media

have no trouble finding weak spirits willing to suck up tothem, but aren’t much respected by the most powerfulethereals.

One thing that makes it harder for demons to enlistallies in the Marches is that some Princes deliberatelyantagonize ethereals. Demons of the War sometimes gospirit-hunting just for fun, and after one of theseepisodes, demons are given a wide berth in the Marchesfor a long time. Malphas sends minions to do the samething, just to make sure cozy ethereal-diabolical relationsare never developed too easily. Kobal has been known tolure gods into conflict with angels; one of his best gagswas sending a demon disguised as an ethereal “messiah”who actually recruited a large number of spirits for a cru-sade to storm Heaven. The messiah disappeared justbefore the Crusaders arrived at Gabriel’s Volcano, andmessiahs have had a hard time gaining credibility since.

ETHEREALS AND THE WARMost ethereals consider the War irrelevant, since

human souls do little for them, and they don’t expectthey’ll win, whoever is victorious in the final battle.They’d just as soon postpone Armageddon indefinitely;there is no consensus among ethereals as to whether itwould be better for them for Heaven or Hell to win theWar. Most believe the victor would eradicate them after-ward, regardless.

However, spirits know that celestials are obsessed withthe War, and they’ll take advantage of the conflictbetween angels and demons when it benefits them. Someeven have ideological affinities with one side or the other,and will lend aid to Heaven or Hell on principal. TheHindu gods, for example, are often considered unoffi-cially allied with Heaven, and some believe they willactually join the angels on Judgment Day. Some spiritswill simply lend aid to whichever side seems to be losing,hoping that will prolong the War and keep celestials ateach others’ throats. Then there are those who have theirown apocalyptic myths (particularly among the Aztecand Norse Domains), and want to position themselves tobenefit from the War, believing that Heaven and Hellwill both be brought down in the end.

Ethereals who sign up with one side to take part inthe War are rare (except for Beleth’s minions), but theyare given special privileges. Much like human Soldiers,they are never accorded the same status as celestials, butthey can earn rewards for meritorious service. Dominicdoes not officially permit “ethereal recruits,” butJudgment rarely smites an ethereal who is clearly aidingHeaven. 121


HumanS in the MarcheS

The vast majority of humans in the Marches are dream-ers, bottled up in their own dreamscapes (p. 105). Thereare a few who travel outside these personal Domains, andinteract with spirits and celestials on their own terms. Allthe character types described below are covered in muchmore detail in the Corporeal Player’s Guide.

ETHEREAL HALFBREEDSMost creatures of myth (p. 78)

are assumed to be ethereal spirits,but at one time, ethereals interbredfrequently with mortals, producingmany of the fabulous and mon-strous beasts of legends, and someof the great heroes and villains ofmyth as well. Most of these beingswere wiped out during the PurityCrusade, but ethereal blood stillflows in some mortal veins. Such aheritage rarely makes one unusual,but “demigods” have been bornwith special abilities, particularly atalent for lucid dreaming.(Celestials believe that this is not possible without an ethe-real parent, while the accused spirits declare they are assurprised as anyone.) Some of these unfortunates becomemonsters, the dreaded gorgons who once plaguedmankind. Both Judgment and the Game keep a close eyeon any mortal suspected of ethereal ancestry; Judgment istasked with hunting gorgons (to contain or eliminatethem, depending on what is just), while the Game will slayany who show signs of allying with Heaven. But etherealstry to identify and conceal or otherwise protect their“children,” and will teach such halfbreeds how to functionin the Marches and how to avoid celestial attention.

LUCID DREAMERSAny living human can learn the Dreaming skill (p. 65)

and become a lucid dreamer. Most lucid dreamers remainunaware of the nature of the Marches, since they use theirDreaming skill only to shape their own dreamscapes.Those who serve Heaven or Hell are taught to walk theMarches, however, and a few learn how on their own.Without a guide, such dreamers are likely to fall prey tohostile spirits, but some become pagan followers of thespirit lucky enough to discover them.

SOLDIERS AND SORCERERSMost Soldiers and sorcerers aren’t taught to become

lucid dreamers, but some learn on their own. Without acelestial to accompany them, they can easily get in overtheir heads in the Marches. Both Dreams and Nightmares,however, train their best Soldiers to be Dream Soldiers, notonly teaching them Dreaming and the Songs of Dreams,but granting them an Ethereal Connection (p. 63) so thatthey can be as potent in the Marches as they are on Earth.Sorcerers with ethereal patrons often learn rituals to helpthem deal with spirits of the Marches. Like demons, ofcourse, spirits are prone to letting sorcerers think they have

more power than they do.

SAINTSSaints usually use

Dreaming skill to send them-selves to sleep and walk theMarches much as celestialsdo. They are still humans,though, and can retreat intotheir personal dreamscapes,with all the protection thatoffers (p. 105). Most Saints,with the exception ofBlandine’s, don’t spend muchtime in the Marches.

UNDEADUndead don’t have dreamscapes. Willing themselves to

sleep doesn’t send them to the Marches; it puts them ina trance. The only way they can enter the Marches iswith the Corporeal Song of Dreams or theDreamwalking attunement. Once there, they mayDream-Shape.

DREAM-SHADESHuman souls who remain on the ethereal plane, these

are most often worshipers of a pagan god, but some areethereal “ghosts” who clung to their dreamscapes whenthey died. They are always anchored somewhere, as spiritsare (p. 18), and function like ethereal spirits in many ways.While they do not have element-strands or affinities, theycan learn Songs, be granted some attunements, and evengain Forces up to the human maximum.

Although they can “let go” at any time and travel to theirfinal reward, some dream-shades forget they were evermortal, and they can be hard to distinguish from true ethe-real spirits. Many of the more powerful gods have a fair122


My mother has nevermade any attempt to keepfrom me the fact that I’ma Martian. I’ve known itsince I was a very smallMartian.

– Armin D. Sykes

number of dream-shades dwelling in their Domains, but afew have become formidable enough to wander theMarches on their own errands. (For more informationabout dream-shades, see the Corporeal Player’s Guide, p. 82.)

Corporeal RelationsMost ethereals want to go to Earth. It is a source of

Essence, and it represents freedom. While a spirit whosuccessfully manifests on Earth has many powers at itscommand, thriving in the corporeal realm is much easierwith human assistance. Spirits who remain in the Marchesalso benefit from humans who further their interests, evenif only by sending them Essence. There are a number ofways in which ethereals can interact with mortals.

COLLABORATORS, VICTIMS, AND DUPES

Not all humans who help ethereals know who they’rehelping. Spirits create phony cults, dupes who believethey’ve suddenly been gifted with psychic powers, andeven knowing collaborators who make deals with spiritsin exchange for help with business matters, affairs of theheart, or any number of other mortal desires. (A beingwho can spy on someone’s dreams, and even influencethem, would have much to offer a corporate intriguer ora desperate suitor . . .)

Besides Essence, spirits benefit from these arrange-ments by having a network on Earth to provide themwith material assistance. In corporeal form, they needshelter, allies, and funds, just as celestials do. Some haveambitions of building a power base that will eventuallylet them walk openly on Earth, unafraid of the Host’sedicts. But most spirits have much more modest desires;wealth, influence, sex, or whatever desires motivate themto come to Earth in the first place.

PAGANSA few of the old gods still have worshipers. Some are

even enjoying a resurgence in popularity, thanks to theneo-paganism fad in the West. Most of these worshipers,with their rituals out of New Age paperbacks, never havecontact with an actual spirit. However, ethereals do payattention to mortals who believe in them – if they canlocate them. (Even if a god receives Essence from a prop-er worship rite, remember that it doesn’t automaticallyknow where the Essence is coming from!) And worshiperswho are both sincerely dedicated and have the potential to

be useful (especially if they show signs of being potentialSoldiers) may be visited by their god, either in theirdreams, or by means of the Songs of Spirit Speech (p. 67).Of course, such worshipers may also be visited by some-one pretending to be their God; “poaching” worshipersisn’t uncommon, given the limited supply of pagans in themodern world.

The ethics of pagans in actual service to a god vary.Most consider themselves benign, but they may be ledinto doing bad things their god tells them to do. Whilesome gods are benevolent and/or genuinely concernedwith their worshipers’ welfare, others just want Essenceand power. Most will try to keep their followers away fromthe Host, and they tend to seek out the most fanaticallyanti-Christian pagans as their servants. Most gods prefernot to have their worshipers getting mixed up with dia-bolicals either, but a few will ally with sorcerers or Soldiersof Hell, and some of the spirits beholden to Beleth willlead their worshipers right into the clutches of demons ofNightmares for indoctrination and training.

BELIEVERSWorship is not the only way to send Essence to spirits;

the right kind of deeply-held belief will do just as well.The Marches hold at least two tribes of ethereals whotake advantage of UFO beliefs by masquerading as spacealiens. They prepare future helpers by visiting them intheir dreams first, priming them to believe whatevermessage the spirit wants to deliver. Likewise, the numer-ous Santa Clauses, Easter Bunnies, Sherlock Holmesesand cartoon characters all benefit from human believerswho are not “ worshipers,” in the true sense. Santa Clausand cartoon beings are unlikely to manifest as such cor-poreally – except to children – but they can manipulatepeople (including children!) into doing things that willaid them on Earth.

SORCERERSSorcerers tend to be egotistical, amoral, and damned,

but even within that category, they range from once-well-intentioned “psychics” to occult practitioners to practic-ing pagans to formally Hellsworn servants. The latter areoff-limits to ethereals, but those who aren’t yet owned bydemons are valuable resources for a spirit willing to tradea little sorcerous knowledge for Essence and corporealassistance. Ethereals rarely establish long-term relation-ships with sorcerers, because Servitors of Kronos are zeal-ous about hunting down and killing any sorcerers theydon’t control. Given that sorcerers aren’t stable enough toavoid attention indefinitely, their ethereal patrons prefernot to be around when the demons catch up with them. 123


124E T H E R E A L L I F E

EtherealLife

Ethereal MotivationS“Do noble things, not dream them,”

– Charles Kingsley, “A Farewell”

Ethereals are explicitly the characters of story anddream – essentially fictive in nature. The trick to role-playing spirits is to remember that it’s not fiction forthem. They don’t abide by the conventions of their mythsand stories and archetypes because those are the conven-tions. Insofar as they abide by any convention, they do sobecause it is a part of their nature. They take their livesin deadly earnest. Just as humans can acknowledge theinherent absurdity of sex while retaining a healthy sexdrive, a minotaur can grasp the humor in spending hiswhole life guarding a labyrinth – but considers it a veryserious matter indeed!

The stuff of dream and legend ultimately relies on thehuman ability to reach for and successfully seize theunreachable star. Ethereals, builtfrom this selfsame stuff, do notthink small. The other half of theirheritage, the stuff of nightmare,tempers them with a fear of extinc-tion and loss. This keeps many spir-its from ever rising above their ori-gins – but it cannot make them petty.If a spirit sees a chance to achieve agreater goal, it can rise above imme-diate gratification and even the des-perate scrabble for survival. Thesmallest 3-Force brownie will turnup his nose at a lucrative position ifthanked for his work, on principlealone. Even the squabbling animated teeth of theChancrous Pits at Bellengard, that rip apart travelers andargue over the unlucky spirits’ shoes, have a higher pur-pose – to them, shoes are magic of the highest order.

Ethereals do not have Words to serve. Usually, theirambition relates to personal power or fulfilling the pur-pose of their Image – the dream- or myth-image workedinto their nature. (The next few sections describe thequest for Image fulfillment and personal power in moredetail.) Some ethereals also seek to advance belief in theworld at large – a pantheonic figure might spend a lot oftime with neopagans, while a classic Victorian noblemanmight push his code of values back towards prominence.Since gods tend to have a few concrete Word-like con-cepts associated with them – Apollo having links to theSun, for example – gods and their Servitors may alsowant to increase the prominence of those concepts in theworld.

Image“What is bred in the bone will never come out of the flesh.”

– translated from the 14th Fable of the Brahmin gymnosophist Pilpay

Ethereals come into existence complete with a sense ofpurpose. An average ethereal begins its life as an integralpart of a human dream or a culture’s legendry. It knowswho its enemies and allies are. It knows what role itought to play in the world. It carries with it a little pieceof its original environment wherever it goes. LauraJacobs, dreamed into being 70 years ago as a two-fistedheroine in a far-future dystopia, has yet to put aside herbrass knuckles and fox fur overcoat. She finds herselfdrawn to situations where a hero is needed. The dreamimage of her lover never “woke up” and gained free will,but she remains connected to him. Sometimes her pres-ence in a Domain or dream is enough to incarnate him

out of the surroundingdream-stuff. (Laura’splayer purchases thisfigment as a Servant(Class/1).) Laura leftthe cradle of the dreamthat created her for thevast and dangerousworld of the Marches– but that dreamremained a part of her.Where humans some-times spend their wholelives trying to findthemselves and their

place in the world, ethereals like Laura struggle insteadto transcend a role and nature built into the very core oftheir being.

The inhabitants of the Marches refer to an ethereal’soriginal nature as its “mask” or its “Image.” The dreamimage of a police officer can wake up and become its ownperson, but it still “retains the Image” or “wears themask” of a cop. Multiple ethereals can share the sameImage, although the details usually vary. There are threeethereals wearing the mask of Theseus the hero. Dozensof dream-creatures wear the mask of Mr. Right. In herheyday, Aphrodite was able to collect over 30 dream-images of “the most beautiful woman in the world” andkeep them, transformed into humbler shapes, in her gar-den. Ethereals who share the same Image tend tobecome devout allies or deadly enemies, with few stancesin between. 125

E T H E R E A L L I F E

Ah, but the choice of dreams to live,there’s the rub.For all dreams are not equal,some exit to nightmaremost end with the dreamerBut at least one must be lived . . .and died.

– William Shakespeare

Image describes something far more important than aspirit’s visible appearance – which is mutable, in any case.An ethereal’s Image defines its inner self. It can growbeyond its Image, and most important ethereals do.What it cannot do is escape that Image. If a young girldreams up an intrepid master spy, and that devious indi-vidual escapes the dream, it retains the heart of an oper-ative. If it chooses to settle down in an out-of-the-wayDomain and become a gardener, it can certainly do so –but its old identity and skill at espionage are never morethan a thought away. In a situation requiring its old skills,the world of intrigue and violence will beckon like asiren.

THE MEANING OF THE MASKImages, figments, and fancies fill every human dream.

Living things, and even humanoid things, are as commonas dirt in the Marches. At any given moment, a billionmade-up personalities inhabit 1-2 billion human dream-scapes. Only a few, however – the “awakened” spirits –possess self-awareness. In recognizing its own nature, anethereal transcends the dream that created it. GlenSummers, at one time the firefighter plenipotentiary of asunless arboreal world, survived the demise of thatdreamscape by stepping out of his role in the dream. Asimple, ordinary dream of a firefighter plenipotentiarywould have gone out like a candle when the dreamerwoke. This leaves Glen with the question, “If I’m notsuch a dream, what am I?”

The most common ethereal philosophy, many variantsof which exist, defines the typical unaware dream- ormyth-creature as an automaton – an organism with com-plex but ultimately finite behavior patterns. An etherealgains self-awareness when a new layer of complexitysomehow infuses that behavior pattern, opening up aninfinite number of possible actions and making its behav-ior fundamentally non-deterministic. Ethereals, as amatter of religious, philosophical, or scientific convic-tion, argue about the nature of this “new layer.” Somesuggest that it represents a formless, mindless conscious-ness that blends with the dream from outside normalreality. Some claim that awakened ethereals are thedreams of the Marches itself. A few offer modern theo-ries of emergent properties, or suggest that an awakeningethereal steals the soul of the dreamer who dreamed it.

Almost every ethereal comes to the conclusion thattranscending its Image and “natural” behavior is bothphilosophically important and a necessity of survival.That established, ethereals regard their native Images inmany ways.

Nacreous Seeds of Dream“Young man, I take no bribes. This dismal bureau, with its

creaking walls and its gray, mist-filled halls – it strikes you, Ihave no doubt, as a higher branch of Hell, and myself as awoman desperate to escape it. Nothing could be further from thetruth. A human named Lucy Fairland dreamed me into exis-tence as a faceless extension of the system, as a bureaucrat ofmechanical perfection. I do not reject this function. I only left herdream because I judged that she dreamed too small. She couldnot conceive of a system as harsh and unforgiving as I sought –and so I came here. You may leave the Hall of Chronicles andthe Bureau of Monitoring within it, but your record never will.I am proud, sir, to be a dreary, mindless drone, provided that Imay live that life at a sufficiently vital pitch.”

Many ethereals treat their Image as the “seed” of theperson they should become. The awakened dream of amail carrier naturally seeks employment as a messengerfor one pantheon or another. As its strength and ambitionincreases, it might set its sights higher. It could look intodelivering diseases and curses to mortal enemies of itsmaster’s faith. It could even become the charioteer thatpulls the moon – come rain, come sleet, come gloom ofnight – on its endless course through one Domain’s sky. Inshort, ethereals of this attitude take their Image as amicrocosmic version of their macrocosmic “destiny.”They do not want to forsake their assigned purpose, butrather to realize it on as large a scale as possible.

The Divers’ Metaphysic is a fringe belief touching onthese matters; its terminology has leaked out into com-mon parlance. It suggests that the Marches abhor self-awareness. Like an oyster, the Marches strive to smotherethereals by covering them in layers of dream. An ethere-al cannot survive as “grit in the gears” of the Marches.Ultimately, it either absorbs the dream-layers into its orig-inal self, becoming epic in scope – “pearlescent” – or itdies, as the weight of dream becomes too much for it. ThisMetaphysic captures a common theme in post-Crusadeethereal beliefs: stasis and contentment with one’s lot leadsto death.

Chains of the Flesh“You have no conception, my lady, how much you tempt me.

I am not immune to the mortal passions. I am not proof againstyour eyes, or your mouth. Or your courage. If I reject you, it isbecause I do not trust myself. I stand before you a gentleman inthe service of the crown, but this is not my nature. I was born,my lady, humbler. I do not mean a peasant. I do not mean athief. I am a scorpion, my lady, that has become a man – andI cannot escape that terrible truth. If I relax my vigilance . . .if I should give in to passion . . . it does not bear thinking about,dear heart. My sting is a fatal one.”126


Ethereals whose Image contains serious inconsisten-cies – junkyard naiads, vicious beasts with human per-sonalities, and Caucasian Australian aborigines – face adifficult choice. On the one hand, they can live with theburden of a contradictory self-definition, making it hard-er to find a suitable home, lifestyle, and occupation. Thealternative is to reject part or all of their Image, castingaside the “chains of the flesh.” Of course, rejecting partof their inner nature does not make it go away! Often themissing aspect of the ethereal’s spirit lurks just beneaththe surface, ready to seize control if the ethereal’s willwavers. (This can produce a number of interestingDiscords, Dreads, or disadvantages.) It also manifests insmall ways: on Earth and in relevant Domains, such anethereal’s shadow might not match its form. Its footstepsmight make sounds evocative of its other self.

Ethereal “messiahs” appear every few centuries todenounce Images as base and horrid constraints on theethereals’ “higher selves.” They argue that an etherealsentience can detach itself from the dream-stuff thatdefines it and become a creature of pure will and percep-tion. Some describe this as enlightenment; others sug-gest that this was God’s route to power. No one faultstheir motivations, but their evangelizing usually founderson two points. First, few ethereals can conceive of a lifethat transcends their Image completely. Second, most ofthese messiahs have some variant of “Holy Martyr” astheir Image – lending an air of hypocrisy to their decla-rations.

Founts of Inspiration“Do not bother struggling, little lord. Only one creature

under the stars has ever broken my grip, had I not willed it –and he is not with you. Your King has given you over to me.He has offered you, in the message you so faithfully delivered,as a tasty morsel to slake my eternal hunger. I thank him. Ithank you. Make your peace with the Marches; I measure thespan of your life in moments.

“Of course, let it not be said that I am unsporting. I havebecome the lord and master of these mountains, their undis-puted King; I have turned my flesh to stone and my eyes to ice.Yet I will not have it said that I have forgotten my origins –forgotten Jack of the Embers, the gambler and rake in whoseflesh I was born. The cards are marked. The dice are loaded.You gamble for your life, and I for a meal. Yet we will gamebefore you die.”

Some ethereals conceive of their Image as a symbol ofand a metaphor for their nature. It does not define them,but it represents them – much like a human’s totem ani-mal or a country’s flag. Such an ethereal cherishes itsImage as a sacred truth about itself, rather than a bit of

secular dreamstuff that shapes its appearance and skills.Dana Donovan, originally an eighth-grade teacher in ayoung man’s nightmare, has no interest in teaching orhorrifying others. Rather, she acts on Earth as a patronto teachers, silently “removing” insolent school boardofficials and nosy parents who try to interfere with theirduties. When the Far Marches Domain known as thePort of No Regrets offered Bellerophon its crown, theGreek hero and Pegasus-tamer leapt at the chance – buthe still treasures his identification with apolitical heroismand flight.

One ethereal myth – for even the creatures of legendand dream have their own stories – ascribes the creationof life to the mindless demiurge Chaos. Wielding asword as sharp as a shadow’s edge, Chaos cut a hole in thefabric of the Marches. Through that hole the primalpower of imagination and inspiration began to bubbleinto the ethereal realm. It takes only one small drop, car-ried to a mortal’s dream by the winds of the Marches, tocreate an ethereal. To bathe in its waters is to achieveperfection. Some ethereals refer to their Image,metaphorically or literally, as the “key” through whichthey access this fount’s power. By meditating on theirImage, they open the door to an endless well of passionand invention.

Voices of the Wild“Worry no more, sir. When you put your affairs in the hands

of Johnny Stevens, the Living Bomb, you know that your oppo-sition will be removed with efficiency and poise. I am not, if youwill pardon the expression, a Johnny Come Lately to this busi-ness . . . from the moment I was born, I was in the extralegaltroubleshooting business up to my eyebrows. You may trust that,had my target’s life not already been compromised by theimpending demise of our shared dream, I would have made thesupreme sacrifice . . . exploding . . . in my client’s name! Now,I do not offer self-immolation on my services list at themoment, but do not think I have lost an inch of my aplombwhen it comes to the world of dreamscape terrorism!”

Kelinci, an ethereal noble martyred in the PurityCrusades, was the first to formally identify a truth pre-sent in the Marches from the very beginning: when anethereal is in an environment resembling that of thedream or story that created it, it makes that ethereal justa little bit more real. The experience invigorates it, justas a jot of new evidence can invigorate a theory. Itmakes the ethereal feel good. Some ethereals even getaddicted to the sensation, which can cause problemswhen their native environment is “high adventure,”“near a tornado,” or “a ruthless environment of crimi-nal double-dealings.” 127


Many ethereals regard their Image as the “bond”between themselves and the environment where theybelong. A unicorn may reject the sylvan woods andbecome a prospector, roving the Far Marches in searchof unique lands and resources; it could take on a humanvessel and become a podiatrist; it might become the war-rior guardian of an ethereal monastery. Nevertheless,through its identity as a unicorn, it retains its tie to thewild and the fae. It knows that, if hunted by a terribleadversary, it need only reach the woods or any faeriekingdom to have a home field advantage. Unless it per-verts its nature so thoroughly that it no longer remains aunicorn in spirit – a difficult task! – it retains a sense of“place” in those environments.

The unicorn’s choice is not binary. It doesnot have to live its life as either a nickering res-ident of the Enchanted Forest or an apostatecreature that has forsaken its character. It candraw on its natural understanding of forestenvironments and Faerie to become a guardianspirit of the woods or a respected librarian ofAvalon. It can abandon its form, spending mostof its days as a hoofed and one-horned man ofdistinguished visage, without abandoning itsintegration into a unicorn’s natural environ-ment. This is roughly equivalent to a humanchanging his job and area of focus withoutchanging the general field he works in – only aportion of his competitive advantage and expe-rience is lost.

IMAGE FULFILLMENTAs a general rule, nightmarish monsters are

extremely good at catching and eating scream-ing children. It’s a rare dream-gunslinger whocan’t pull off a mean fast-draw. A unicorn inca-pable of distinguishing virgins from prostituteswould be the laughingstock of any EnchantedForest. In short, ethereals tend to be good at thekind of things people would expect their Imageto do. Ethereals receive several bonuses fromtheir Image when attempting such feats. Playersshould also buy appropriate skills.

Some ethereals have the Image of a screw-up.If a player wants to play a dream-samurai whocannot draw its wakizashi without slicing itselfopen or an apparently terrible monster that adreaming six-year-old easily defeated, he can doso. The human imagination has an infinitecapacity for slapstick and for satire. Similarly, ifa self-loathing drug addict dreams, and his

mental image of himself becomes an ethereal, that ethere-al would have very few areas of excellence. These ethere-als usually receive an Image bonus only when they’redoing “the wrong thing.”

When an ethereal fulfills its Image in a magnificent, leg-endary manner, it often becomes more powerful. Thisprocess is known as Image enhancement. Heroic Images aredifficult to enhance. Enhancing a screw-up Image, how-ever, is easy – the character need only make a few colossalblunders. A few incompetent ethereals have failed withsuch frequency and majesty as to become immortal andnearly omnipotent. The jinx effect surrounding thesebumblers now foils any attempt to destroy them, as well asany attempts they make to destroy themselves.128


IMAGE FULFILLMENT BONUSESEthereals receive a +1 to their target numbers and check digits

when acting in a manner directly befitting their Image. This bonusapplies, for example, when a household god acts to defend thehuman lineage it sponsors or when a monstrous Ubiwami tries toswallow a human whole. It would not apply when the monstrousUbiwami attempts to cook a three-course dinner – or when thehousehold god attempts to swallow the Ubiwami.

Ethereals also receive a free Knowledge that covers the basics ofhow to be their Image, at a level equal to their Ethereal Forces.Ogres have Knowledge: [How to be an] Ogre, which enhances theirability to survive in fairy-tale environments, keep small villages par-alyzed with terror, cook human flesh sumptuously, and collect mag-ical treasures. Ethereals can buy this skill to a higher level normally.This skill resembles a Role skill, and like a Role skill does not includeany of the skills listed in In Nomine. (See In Nomine, pp. 44 [UsingRoles] and 71.)

In a light, over-the-top game, Game Masters can give ethereals anextra Image-related bonus. For relevant rolls, on an adjusted checkdigit of 7+, the ethereal succeeds beyond all reasonable expectations.This covers the same territory as a Minor “Amplification” Divine orInfernal Intervention (see the Infernal Player’s Guide, p. 77). Theethereal’s performance defies probability and takes on the aspect oflegend. It does not Seduce; it enthralls. It does not Dodge; it slipsfrom the room or destroys its enemy’s weapon. In the Marches,where almost anything is possible, it does not just build a car – itbuilds a car with a rudimentary intelligence of its own!

Ethereals receive these bonuses because their Image and its associ-ated purpose are quasi-physical parts of their being. Calling a human“a doctor” describes only the smallest fraction of his complicatedbeing. An ethereal with the Image of a doctor, contrariwise, has themedical profession as part of its body and its spirit.

CHANGING YOURIMAGE

Under normal circumstances, an ethe-real’s Image does not change. Dreamedinto existence as a woodchopper, a dreamspirit remains a woodchopper. Spawnedby the legends of Daedalus, an etherealremains Daedalus. Even the gods, whoselives are filled with reversals, rarelychange their stripes. Usually, those rareethereals who want to change their Imagejust assume a new shape and start lyingabout what they are.

Ethereal PCs who become dissatisfiedwith their basic nature do have a fewoptions open to them. The most skilledchirurgeons among the dreamfolk knowsurgical techniques that can change anethereal’s nature. The results are crudeand fatalities are common – but such doc-tors as Asklepios, Avicenna, Chiron,Hiawath’a, and the ethereal recreation ofSamuel Hahnemann have all reportedsuccess. An ethereal who attempts to“assume” a god’s place in the world,using a ritual challenge asdescribed below, ends up dead ormassively transformed. Finally,certain natural features of theFar Marches (including theriver Proteus, the wind atopthe Pamphylean peaks, andthe vortex at Morcaster)can change every aspect ofa spirit’s constitution.

If a player becomes dissatisfied with hisethereal’s Image, he has several options.The character may seek change, usingone of the methods above. The playercan request the Game Master’s permis-sion for a retroactive change, in which itturns out that the spirit has lied about itsImage all along. The player can adjustthe concept slightly, allowing a “newfacet” of the character’s Image to emerge.With the Game Master’s assistance, thiscan be done within the framework fo thecampaign – an enemy might douse thespirit in the water of Proteus, or anincredibly strong dream might reshapehis nature. 129


IMAGE CONCEPTSThis box suggests some possible Images, describing their ben-

efits and drawbacks, explaining how to apply the Image bonus,and characterizing what qualifies as image enhancement. Thissection is purely advisory. If it does not seem to apply, talk to theGM.

Career Images are defined by an ethereal’s natural job: e.g.,medic, lawyer, house servant, soldier, sailor, archivist, retailer, orbodyguard. The ethereal held this job in the cultural myth ordream that created it. Usually, the player should think up a“twist” to make a career Image more interesting – playing a rene-gade cop or an arboreal butler. Ethereals with career Images canfind employment in almost any Domain, have a well-defined areaof competence, and clearly understand what kind of heroicaccomplishments enhance their Images. On the negative side,their area of competence is narrow and they face prejudice whenworking outside their Image’s specialty.

Species Images are defined by an ethereal’s natural shape: e.g.,nymph, basilisk, sea serpent, fox spirit, Cyclops, centaur, kobold,Sidhe, giant boar, sphinx, three-headed dog, or cinema-stylemummy. These ethereals usually receive their Image bonus intheir native environment and with a few appropriate skills. Theirinnate Knowledge skill tends to have broad applicability – a sala-mander understands everything about fire, and a fox spirit has alibrary of tricks and subterfuges at its fingertips. These etherealshave trouble enhancing their Image – it’s hard to pull off a tran-scendent feat of three-headed doggery, although successfullyguarding a gate to Hell, or something akin to such a gate, mightdo it.

Role Images are defined by an ethereal’s natural function: e.g.,hero, villain, minion, mercenary, entertainer, mediator, trickster,visionary, councilor, scholar, Queen, slave, adjutant, sorcerer,druid, or Yin-Yang Master. Ethereals with role Images receivetheir Image bonus on every skill when directly fulfilling theirfunction, and on no skill at all otherwise. Thus, a hero receives nobonus at all when engaged in sordid combat with a lover’s hus-band, but receives his Image bonus when crafting a disguise topenetrate a powerful enemy’s court.

Gestalt Images represent cultural or mythic icons: e.g.,Hercules, John Henry, John F. Kennedy, Susan B. Anthony, theAugust Personage in Jade, and Icarus. Such spirits receive theirImage bonus on rolls that fall under their myth’s area of greateststrength – for example, Schehezerade would get her bonus whenmanipulating others and telling stories. Usually, an ethereal witha gestalt Image gains power from feats “true” to the old myths.Ethereals with gestalt Images tend to attract the hostile attentionof other ethereals with the same or a similar Image.

See Ethereal Beings, p. 70, for more ideas.

Power“The desire of power in excess caused the angels to fall.”

– Francis Bacon, “Of Goodness”

Pagan gods can pack a lot of punch, but they offer sec-ond-rate patronage compared to the celestial Superiors.Unlike Archangels and Demon Princes, the pantheonicrulers cannot hand out character points and Resources ona whim. An ethereal’s ability to prosper ultimately dependsupon inherent strengths – Forces, affinities, and Songs –that its master cannot easily give it. Alchemists and natur-al philosophers among the dreamfolk have striven for mil-lennia to create the Crucible of Perfect Conception, adevice for reworking and empowering the stuff of dreams.The ancient dream spirit Menkheperre leads a nomadicwarrior cult known for its gruesome practice of kidnap-ping and dissecting angels it catches alone – in hopes ofisolating their connection to God’s power before they die.(Blandine and Laurence both want him very dead, but atraveling band is hard to pin down in the ever-shifting FarMarches.) Ethereals also pursue more prosaic routes topersonal power, from selling out to Beleth to stealing thepower of the gods.

IMAGE ENHANCEMENT“Hi! I’m Anit Lee, you’re dead, and I’ll be your psychopomp

for the day. I’m guessing, from the fact that you came here atall, that vaguely squelchy fish-people from the planet circlingSirius B have visited you in your dreams and taught you to wor-ship them. Hey! Don’t get excited, there’s no judgment here,they’re an old and respectable Mali legend and I have nothingbut the highest respect for them. Bless their little sushi hearts.Anyway, you probably hoped they’d come for you themselves, butthey’re busy. Tough luck! You get a cab. My cab. She’s namedBessie. And believe me, it’s a long hard journey from here toSirius B. You’ll be blessing the air-conditioned interior and thenifty pine scent by the time you get there!

“Now, look, when we arrive, put in a good word for me, okay?This is the best gig I’ve ever had. It’s a thousand times betterthan real taxi work! If some snot-nosed passenger were to blowit for me, he’d wind up sleeping with a very different kind offishes, if you get my drift?”

Julia Martin, a dream spirit with the Image of a physi-cian, derives a purpose from that Image. She exists to heal.It does not matter that she received that purpose from adreamer’s imagination rather than from some cosmic fateor destiny. The purpose is woven into the fabric of herbeing. When Athena took it on herself to bring the long-dead Medusa back into the world and brought Julia the130


HOW FAR CAN YOU GO?GMs establishing NPC power levels, and over-

seeing the increase in PC power, may wish toapply the following standards.

1-4 Forces: These ethereals rarely have influ-ence. In Domains, they make good laborers andminions. In the Marches at large, they are prey.

5-6 Forces: 5-Force ethereals and most 6-Force ethereals qualify as weak. In groups they canpose a threat or participate in Far Marchespolitics.

6-7 Forces: Strong 6-Force ethere-als, and almost all 7-Force ethereals,qualify as significant. They can holddown important positions in Domains,claim small regions of the Marches astheir “turf,” and survive as wanderers.

8 Forces: This level represents theapex of most ethereal ambitions – thehighest level to which an ethereal canreasonably expect to climb. Simpleapproaches to self-empowerment rarely takea spirit above this plateau: an ethereal must haveextreme self-discipline or a naturally stellar natureto rise higher.

9-10 Forces: The most glorious dreams andmyths in the ethereal realm – movers and shakers,the great ones whose footsteps metaphoricallyshake the Far Marches Domains – cluster at thislevel. Weak gods, such as the gods who have suf-fered greatly from fading (p. 19) and the patrons ofsmall tribes, also cluster here. An ethereal cannottransfigure or perform a successful assumptionwith fewer than 9 Forces.

11+ Forces: Strong gods have 11 or moreForces, as do mythic figures on a level with gods(such as the Kraken). Other ethereals could theo-retically reach this level, but this is unheard-of –ethereals with that much potential tend to becomegods, instead. (At their most powerful, pagan godslikely possessed 16-18 Forces. Now only theHindu ethereals, with their semi-Divine connec-tion, are said to be at that level. See the GameMaster’s Guide, pp. 83-84.) Of course, with suffi-cient affinities and Songs (and perhaps a smallTether to supply Essence), an ethereal god can stillbe more potent than a celestial would expect fromsomething with definable Forces.

gorgon’s still-bleeding head and desiccatedbody, Julia could not refuse the case. Shestitched Medusa’s neck together and recreat-ed a monster. This was not an impossible act,given the gorgon’s nature, but it was a heroicone. This act of medicine suffused Julia, awoman defined as a physician, with newstrength and power. Conversely, if she rippedup the Hippocratic Oath and danced on thepieces – if, for example, she took a corporealvessel and developed new biological weaponsfor the government – it would inevitablyweaken her.

Ethereals treasure their Images for practi-cal reasons as well as sentimental ones. By ful-filling their purpose heroically, they gainpower. Horrible betrayals of the principleswoven into their being denature them. Forthis reason, even those ethereals who denytheir Images usually choose a lifestyle unrelat-ed to rather than opposed to their nature. Aspirit born from dreams as a “river repair-man” might join the U.S. Army, but wouldnever become a dam-building river-breakingcivil engineer.

Game Masters may wish to assign character points atthe end of each story based on how truly and howgrandiosely the PCs lived up to the purposes within them.See Rewards and Punishments, on p. 132.

IMAGE CONSUMPTION“There’s no point in struggling, Santa. I’ve been

hunting down second-rate imitation Clauses likeyou for centuries. It is the way of the world: thelife force of the weak goes to feed the virile. Thepathetic pretenders to the Christmas Man’smantle die that he might become strong. Lo!I drink your life! Take my greetings to thelords of the land where dead dreams go!”

An ethereal can increase its naturalstrength by consuming another spiritwhose Image resembles its own. Thegreater the resemblance, the more powerthe ethereal gains. For example, if oneHercules kills another, he generally feels anoticeable increase in his strength. If one gibberingdream “monster” consumes another, the effect is muchsubtler – the only thing the two creatures share is theirbasic monsterness. The surviving incarnation of Jack theRipper claims that he must kill ten thousand human-like

spirits to get the satisfaction that killing one fellowWhitechapel Murderer brings him. Although some ethe-reals like to use the Song of Draining or physically eattheir victims, it is widely acknowledged that direct respon-sibility for the death of one’s double is enough to consumethe power of its Image. (See box, p. 132.)

As a rule, spirits would prefer to avoid a madfree-for-all where every spirit hunts its closest

kin. Life in the wilds of the Marches,where such conditions hold, is solitary,

poor, nasty, brutish, and short. MostDomains respond by regulating andritualizing conflict between etherealsof similar Images. They prosecutemurder and limit the right to duel.Law governs the space betweenDomains as well – the “Traveler’sDictat,” penned by Hermes in the

Hellenic era, theoretically governsbehavior in the Marches at large. In

practice, however, Domains rarely prose-cute crimes committed outside their bor-

ders, and the space between Domains is a law-less wasteland. One or two Domains, including the

highly mobile Floating City, even welcome bandits andmurderers, as long as they leave the Domain to practicetheir illicit activities. 131


LITTLE ETHEREALS, BIG MINDSSome spirits have the Image of a small pixie or sprite, or other lit-

tle creature. Their Image is physically weak, but potentially quitesmart – but in the Marches, Intelligence is potency in combat!(Corporeally, there is little problem; few Corporeal Forces, or evena small vessel with no leverage (probably represented via a CorporealDiscord), create physical weakness.)

To make a “weak yet smart” ethereal, one could select a Dread ofUsing Brute Force. Thus, Peaseblossom the Flower Fairy can bequite a clever creature, but if confronted with the Big Bad Wolf,she’d rather run away instead of using her substantial Intelligence tobattle with him in mind-combat. Alternatively, she may simply role-play her Image (and receive bonuses for doing so, both after the factin character points, and during; see the Image Fulfillment Bonuses box,p. 128) as “combat weak, but clever.” A character might even com-bine both rationales!

However, even though it might cost Peaseblossom characterpoints (for bad Image-playing) or Essence (for a Dread), if the BigBad Wolf corners her in the Marches, she could turn and fight.

Sometimes, that little figment isn’t so little, and isn’t a figment . . .

ASSERTION“You may not pass until you pay the toll. The toll you must pay

is the dead and forgotten. Something you have that your fire hasdied for. A piece of your heart that you wouldn’t mind losing. Alove you once held that has faded to nothing, to feed those whofeast on the pale and loveless. Give us your dead and we’ll eatand you’ll pass in peace; treasure your past and you’ll founderand fall. The highest of lords has yielded to us this right: tocrouch on the cliffs and take from the passersby. By this rightthat is vested we hold true possession here. None may oppose usor their spirits will die.”

Domain rulers buy loyal service using the right of asser-tion as their currency. When a Domain’s master formallyappoints an ethereal to a position within its realm – librar-ian, assassin, war leader, minister of the right, janitor,palace guard, or masseuse – the ethereal can call upon thepower of the Domain to better perform those duties. “Justas Titus Clemens dreamed me into existence as a mer-chant of wonders,” explains Quintus Valgus, a craftsmanin Hephaestus’ service, “Olympus began to dream of meas an artisan and a smith. My skills improved at once.”

When performing the duties associated withhis position, a spirit receives a +1 bonus to rel-evant target numbers and check digits.

The assertion bonus is cumulative with theImage bonus. An ethereal can receive an asser-tion bonus from only one Domain at a time,although it can “quit” its position at willpreparatory to taking a more interesting posi-tion elsewhere. Spirits seek the highest andmost broadly defined positions that they can –a lowly ratcatcher receives the assertion bonusonly when catching rats, whereas the war leaderof a Domain receives bonuses when doing bat-tle, leading troops, planning tactics, and intim-idating its subordinates. Domain rulers, how-ever, cannot give every ethereal in their servicea broad and powerful position. The surplus ofauthority would paralyze their Domain. Theassertion bonus does not normally apply out-side the relevant Domain (but see p. 108).

SELLING OUT“Don’t worry. The Big Book of Hell says that

this kind of demon isn’t dangerous. Just hold outyour hand and let her sniff it.”

Beleth does not extend patronage andrewards to the spirits who spread fear in herMarches in exchange for her protection. (That

protection should be enough for them, shouldn’t it.) Nordoes she reward those who serve her vassals faithfully – ifTetzcatlipoca can’t fete a lesser Aztec spirit properly, shewon’t do it for him. The most an ethereal can get from herwithout a pledge of eternal service is a little Essence nowand again. Even after receiving such a pledge, the Princessof Nightmares prefers to give only meager rewards to herethereal lackeys. However, she can give spirits Forces andResources if she so chooses. This is the carrot she danglesbefore those who might serve her – the chance at a fasttrack to power.

The low status of ethereals in Beleth’s service is not uni-versal. By allowing her to “own” them, competent spiritscan rise almost to the status of demons. Rolf Bjornstad,the Traitor at Bifrost, earned Beleth’s favor and commandover several Servitors when the Aesir put a blood-price onhis head. The knowledge that he cannot survive withouther patronage – that he is, in short, her competent bututterly dependent possession – inspires the Djinn Princessto regard him favorably. A number of ethereals, seeingRolf’s example, have sworn to Beleth in hopes of duplicat-ing his success.132


REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTSIn a celestial game, PCs receive rewards and punishments from

their Archangel or Demon Prince. Pleasing a pagan superior haspolitical rewards, but it rarely makes sense to distribute Songs,affinities, character points, or Forces on this basis. The deity justisn’t powerful enough to hand such things out for less than extremesuccess in its service.

Instead, Game Masters should base rewards and punishments onthe Image enhancement concept. Characters who played to theirImage – as when a treacherous scorpion thoughtlessly betrays afriend despite its intention to remain honorable, or a centaur takestime out for a drunken revel – receive small bonuses at the end of anadventure. A character who put its Image’s “spin” on the adventurereceives a substantial reward. A character who lived out its Image’spurpose magnificently might receive an additional Force. A charac-ter who betrays its Image’s purpose, on the other hand, might fallunder a temporary curse of blindness, lameness, or ill luck as itsnature wars with itself.

The end of an adventure is also a good time to reward etherealsfor a successful Image consumption. In cases of great valor, wherethe spirit ruthlessly consumes a much stronger spirit with an almost-identical Image, the GM may elect to give the spirit a new Force.The normal reward for consuming one, several, or even a wholetribe of spirits during a story is one to five character points.

INITIATIONEthereals on the road to power almost always start

with their initiation. Spirits return from initiation withan enhanced knowledge of themselves. More important-ly, over the months that follow, they can develop Songs,skills, and affinities otherwise out of their reach. SeeInitiation, p. 46, for more details.

ASSumption“Here we may reign secure; and in my choiceTo reign is worth ambition, though in Hell”

– John Milton, Paradise Lost

Any spirit of sufficient personal strength can challengea deity to ritual combat, in hopes of seizing the deity’sgodhead. If it wins, it steals the god’s Image and potency.Some of its original nature must perish when deificpower suffuses it, but a successful ethereal can retain itsname, its memories, and part of its Image. The narrow-er the victory, the more of its nature the victor forsakes.

This ritual combat is called “assumption combat,”because the challenger attempts to assume the god’s placein the world. The challenged god swallows its rival,drawing the other spirit into its own Image. As the twoduel inside that Image, it twists and mutates, showingfacets of both their natures, casting off the slivers of spir-it that the combatants cut away – personality quirks,memories, motivations, and loves. It is easy to cut away atrait unworthy of the god in question. Cutting away theenemy’s worthiest traits is arduous. Eventually, one spir-it loses enough of its self that its ego dies. The winnerabsorbs the best of the loser’s remaining traits and castsoff the rest as detritus. “Worthy” traits are defined rela-tive to the Image in question – a strong treacherousstreak would actually help when fighting Loki for hisgodhead!

Any two ethereals can engage in assumption combat, ifboth consent. This is normally a losing proposition forboth parties. Almost invariably, the challenger dies andits opponent loses part of its selfhood. An ethereal mightaccept an assumption challenge, however, in order toabsorb part of the spirit of a dying friend or a defeatedbut respected foe.

When assumption combat is not used as a plot device,run it as an ethereal combat, assigning the worthier ethe-real an appropriate bonus on each roll – between +1 to +6to combat target numbers. An ethereal who successfullyassumes the power of a lesser god gains a Force, theStrong version of any primal affinities that god

possessed, and the Moderate version of the god’s non-primal affinities. (It may have to discard some of theseaffinities subsequently, or reduce them to Slight, toremain within the normal limits; p. 50.) The spirit alsoreceives the natural benefits of godhood (p. 81) and canconvert any saved character points into appropriateResources immediately. An ethereal who successfullyassumes a greater god’s godhead gains 3 Forces (to amaximum of 18) and the basic power package of thegreater god. Given a few decades to work on its new abil-ities in peace, it rises to a power level where game statis-tics no longer have meaning. (Naturally, celestials rarelygive new gods the peace to rise to such levels.)

HISTORICAL EXAMPLESThe Greek gods represent the product of a highly suc-

cessful assumption. They stole power from the Titansbut remained independent individuals. Their characterand fundamental temper does not resemble that oftheir predecessors. Various factors worked intheir favor and allowed this great victory. TheGreek gods engaged the Titans simultaneously,so that no Titan could surreptitiously aidanother. Zeus had allies: the Hecatoncheires,who cast missiles at the sanctums of theTitans; Prometheus and Themis, turncoatswho undermined the Titans’ war effortfrom within; and the Cyclopes, who gave Zeus the thun-derbolt, Poseidon his trident, and Hades his helmet.Finally, the Greek gods cheated: they spread myths onEarth both that their victory was a prophesied inevitabil-ity and that it had already happened. These myths gavethem strength, and, in the process of assumption, becamethe truth.

The Roman gods, on the other hand, represent anunsuccessful assumption. When Jove and his fellow godswere created, they faced an awkward predicament: theyknew they belonged atop Olympus, but they were farweaker than the Hellenic deities. Relying on Rome’sascendancy and their own bravado, they challenged Zeusand his brethren for the Olympian throne. Two of themsucceeded in replacing the gods they challenged, at thecost of their memories and sense of self. Eight of themdied. The others managed to force a small part of theirnature onto the Greek gods before the Olympians anni-hilated them. The Greek gods can now wear the Romannames. Almost nothing of the Roman spirits remains.For centuries, the head of Jove hung on a pike outsideZeus’ court. This was a grim warning to any spirit whodared to face an established god just because mortal leg-ends thought it should! 133


CHALLENGING THE GODS“Having observed one successful assumption and 84 unsuc-

cessful attempts, I have devised two sagacious rules which allthose hoping to seize a god’s power should heed.

“The first rule of challenging the gods, then, is: be prepared.“The second rule of challenging the gods is: don’t do it, you

bloody fool.“If you abide by these rules, and in particular the second,

your attempt to seize divine power will bear no ill fruits.”– Emelricus, “The Annals of Godhood”

Ethereals who hope to steal a god’s Image naturallyworry that the god will refuse the ritual duel and justsmite them instead. Fortunately, the historian Emelricus,in his seminal “Annals of Godhood,” describes threemethods almost certain to make a god accept an assump-tion challenge – defiant atrocities, acts of dominance, andsignificant reenactments.

DefianceGods have a strong motivation to accept challenges to

assumption combat. The idea that a god is more worthyof its particular godhead than anyone else in theSymphony is typically part of its Image. Sometimes, achallenger need only make its intentions clear and thegod will begin an assumption combat. Anything else,including smiting the challenger, would require the godto accept the possibility that it could lose an assumptionbattle – which is a terrible disservice to its Image, andmight well weaken the god!

Normally, one challenges a god by issuing a mortalinsult. (Stealing from its regalia, spitting in its direction,and stating an intent to steal its godhead all work.)Unfortunately, not every god will feel obliged to acceptthe challenge – some might just penalize the insult byhaving the challenger tortured. Even a god who acceptschallenges as a matter of course might judge the chal-lenger too unimportant to stain its honor, or decide thatthe challenge is offered under false pretenses.

An ethereal can improve its odds by replacing its initialdefiance with a defiant atrocity. This is an act that strikesso fiercely against the god’s Image that the god cannotafford to answer it inadequately. Putting a nude pictureof Artemis on the web or rendering Sleipnir down forglue would qualify. The relevant god cannot erase theinsult without first proving that the challenger is notmeaningful enough to shame it. If the challenger passesthe god’s sternest test of worth (see The Trial, below), thegod must prove this through assumption combat andtake its revenge against the challenger’s heirs.

DominanceAn ethereal can force a god to agree to assumption com-

bat by showing some form of dominance over that god. Itmight conquer the god’s Domain, rather than defiling it,or bend the minds of the god’s mortal worshipers.Eventually, the god must agree to an assumption battlesimply to reclaim its own.

ReenactmentEthereal challengers often reenact the stories of a god

before issuing challenge, putting themselves in the god’splace. If an ethereal spends significant time on thisprocess, facing genuine danger and difficulty, theprocess attracts the god’s favorable attention. It alsotinges the ethereal’s nature with the god’s. The god hasa hard time hurting such a challenger – it feels like aim-ing a blow at itself. (The god can, however, surrepti-tiously intervene to add more “realism” to the danger-ous parts of a reenactment.)

The underlying truth of the stories matters more thanthe little details. Emelricus the historian, discussing themyth of Fenris, advises ethereals to bind a real monster– even if it’s a fanged giant carp – rather than a frienddressed up as a giant wolf. He adds, “the Marches arebuilt on stories. You will find many details taking care ofthemselves.”

THE TRIALWhen an ethereal offers challenge, even if the god feels

bound to accept, the god can first face the challenger witha quest or ordeal to “prove that it deserves to be a god.”Failing an ordeal usually means death. Failing a questerases any respect or protection the ethereal has earned.(A wise ethereal immediately swears to serve the god forseven or even seven times seven years, hopefully defusingthe god’s wrath.)

Some gods subject rivals to horrid ordeals designed topunish challengers and minimize the chance of their sur-vival. Others assign arduous quests that they hope to seeaccomplished. After all, if the challenger succeeds, the godstill has an excellent chance of winning the assumptioncombat. Some gods even offer challengers tasks designedto “groom” them for the position. The god does notintend to lose, of course, but rather to absorb the chal-lenger’s carefully developed traits.

The god must believe that it itself could survive theordeal or complete the quest. Otherwise, the god provesthat it is not worthy of godhood – a terrible blow againstits Image. Therefore, since the god cannot make the trialimpossible, the more treachery it plans, the easier the134


“official” trial must be. Similarly, killing the challengeroutright or locking the challenger up in the deepest pit ofOlympian Tartarus is normally out.

The god need not share all of the details of the trial withits rival. Sometimes, returning to the god with proof of“victory” is the hardest part. The god can even announcethe end of the trial and then spring a surprise on its “tri-umphant” enemy. The only definite end to a trial is whenthe god engages its rival in assumption combat. This hasone salutary effect: declaring the trial over does notremove the challenger’s limited protection against treach-ery and murder.

If the ethereal used extreme means to make sure the godwould accept its challenge (e.g., a significant reenact-ment), successfully completing the trial makes an assump-tion combat almost certain. If the ethereal simply chal-lenged the god and the god countered with a trial, the godmight not acknowledge the challenger’s success. (Zeusanswered Jove, after his trial, with “I hear a voice boastingof great deeds, but I see no one of any consequence.”) Theethereal must now use extreme methods to engage thegod’s attention. If it attempts an act of dominance, the godwill (probably) hesitate before moving directly against it –the trial isn’t really over. If the god catches the etherealattempting a defiant atrocity, all bets are off.

How do EtherealSSpend Their Time?

“A sense of duty pursues us ever. It is omnipresent, like theDeity.”

– Daniel Webster

Creatures of all three realms have certain activities incommon. Like humans and celestials, spirits can study,converse, travel, and do their “job,” if they have one.Spirits with roughly human mindsets also intrigue, plot,and gather socially. (Certain unmarked regions of theMarches are, by convention, safe gathering places. Onlythe most uncouth celestials and monsters take advantageof these hallowed spots to perform mass murder on theweak.)

Ethereals visit human dreamscapes to steal Essence,perform Rites, recruit worshipers, entertain themselves,and get a sense for events in the mortal world. (This isnot an exclusive list.) Some ethereals have an agenda inthe mortal world and use dreams to influence humans insupport of that agenda.

Ethereals visit Earth for similar reasons: to recruitworshipers, to gather Essence, to play, and to updatetheir understanding of the world that creates their own.Many also live on Earth to keep themselves safe frommarauding monsters and celestials, and must thereforeestablish and maintain a solid Role.

Ethereals also have activities specificto their Image, profession, and elemen-tal nature. Faerie lords ride on thehunt. The gods’ diplomats bargain withone another. Ethereals with a strongLight element spend hours redesigningtheir appearance, often in ways toominuscule for the untrained eye toobserve.

Image enhancement doesn’t just make an etherealmore powerful. It also feels good. If an ethereal tem-porarily sets the quest for power aside, it can get thatsense of well-being without risk – living up to its Imagein a safe artificial environment. For example, a spiritmight use the Dreaming skill to recreate the dream orlegend that formed it and then reenact part of thatdream. Baldur might host a “throw weapons at Baldur”contest with the stipulation that attendees check anymistletoe, the one thing that can kill him, at the door.This is called “indulging” the ethereal’s Image. Etherealsnot immediately worried about their survival spend asmuch as a third of their day indulging their Images. It’snot unusual, in some Far Marches Domains, to enter asoldier’s home and discover the occupant engaged inapparently lethal battle with Dreamed figments copiedfrom the dream that created it. (A good reason toknock . . .) 135


TRANSFIGURATIONSpirits can also become gods through transfiguration. This

process usually takes much longer than an assumption, but it is sig-nificantly safer. See p. 81.

Ethereals visit human dreamscapesto steal Essence, perform Rites,recruit worshipers, entertain themselves, and get a sense forevents in the mortal world. (This is not an exclusive list.)

A typical ethereal spends about a fifth of its time in a“dissipated” state resembling a controlled Trauma. It dis-solves its consciousness into the entirety of the Marches– particularly into those dreams where its primary ele-ment plays a significant role. A tiny portion of its will andperceptions remains with its Image to maintain its link toindependent existence (which also means it is vulnerableto attack, unlike true Trauma). While dissipated, thespirit experiences a confusing melange of thousands ofdreams. No ethereal, with the possible exception of thegreater gods, has the intellect necessary to remember aspecific dream. The best a spirit can hope for is an occa-sional portent or a sense for events that affect the entireMarches. Ethereals dissipate despite the dubious benefitsbecause they find it restful. Its analogue in the corporealworld is a good night’s sleep. Ethereals experience por-tents only at the GM’s option. Getting a sense of theMarches’ general status requires an Intelligence roll.Waking up quickly in an emergency requires a Will roll.

Ethereal CampaignS“Ne’er had been read, in story old,Of maiden true betray’d for gold,That loved, or was avenged, like me.”

– Sir Walter Scott, Canto ii

Heaven has glory, Earth has complexity, Hell has a sin-ister majesty – but none of the other realms breathes thestuff of stories and myth as the Marches do. Ethereals

live in a realm built from primal images, threads ofdream, and the gravel of broken legends. In the sanerregions of the Marches, Game Masters can draw on theclassic cycles of myth. In the wild regions of the FarMarches, elements of a thousand ancient and modernstories fuse. The ethereal realm is a place of terrible pas-sions, great sacrifices, dreadful betrayals, and the pureststuff of fable. Game Masters running an ethereal cam-paign can incorporate as much complexity as their gam-ing style requires, but should not be afraid to employsimple, primeval narratives. Grandeur serves these cam-paigns better than intricacy.

Game Masters who want a specific mythic “hook” tohang ethereal games on – as celestial games revolvearound the War – can use what ethereal traditiondescribes as the Two Pillars of the Sky. Tradition haspower in the Marches. Any ethereal whose Imageincludes the customs and “rules” of a story cycle or myth-ic culture will find it uncomfortable to flout those rules.Others can use this to manipulate them. This is the Pillarof the Past, or Tradition. Second, the Marches embodythought. Intellectual development builds on itself, pro-ducing an ever-accelerating evolution of the mentalworld. Ethereals therefore live in a context that developsfaster than the Earth itself. Although the ancient godsstill hold court, technological primal spirits and unheard-of monsters are now appearing – and the future will bestranger. This is the Pillar of the Future, or EndlessChange. These Pillars yield themes and events that candrive a Marches game.

REALISTIC CAMPAIGNS“The angel’s eyes were very cold.“‘Please,’ I said. The word hung naked in the air. ‘Let me

call my wife before I die. She – doesn’t know. She won’tknow I’m still alive.’

“The angel grimaced, and his eyes flicked skyward. Nodoubt he was asking God for guidance. Which was worse? hemust have been thinking. To deny me that last goodbye, or torisk my pulling some ethereal stunt and getting away fromhis avenging blade? But he was an angel of the God of loveand mercy, and there was only one choice.

“The blade drew back, and fell forward. I could still see foranother few seconds as my head rolled across the ground.”

A realistic campaign puts the ethereal characters inan environment where mortal lives and decisions havethe greatest meaning. Earth is not just an Essence farmfor ethereals – it is the home of their progenitors, theland where dreams are born. It is the greatest play-ground of them all. Every passing man, woman, child,136


CAMPAIGN GROUPSAs with celestial-oriented games, it serves ethereal

games well to define the nature of the PC group beforeindividual character design. Common groups includelocal figures in a region of the Far Marches, dream teamsin Beleth’s service, troubleshooters or elite servants of agiven pantheon, packs of ethereal scavengers who havefinally become “worth notice” after years clawing theirway in that direction, travelers and tribes banded togeth-er for protection, and dreams and myth figures gatheredunder the banner of some glorious cause. Such causesinclude the hunt for the Unspeakable Name that somesay Yahweh used to become God; the fight againstHeaven, Hell, or some dark Far Marches force; and thedesire to protect the gravesite of Enkidu, first martyr ofthe Purity Crusade.

and beast radiates emotion, thought, and the energy ofbelief – the building blocks of ethereal life. For a real-istic campaign to work, the PCs must respond to thiswonderland by caring about the human lives aroundthem. Some care about their human associates as ifthey were ethereals – treating them like real people, aspotentially significant friends and enemies. Otherethereals, creatures of story, try to fit the humans whofascinate them into sweeping stories of their owndesign, often in roles that support the ethereal’s Imageor elemental nature. Dana McCullough, a dream-frag-ment animal trainer, treats some of her Role’s humanassociates as genuine friends or foes. Others sheregards as trainable animals. Conditioning twocoworkers to play the roles of mongoose and cobraoccupies much of her time. Her grandest experiment isthe love story between her human employer and her-self, made tragic by a family unwilling to see them

together. Two ethereal friends and a human actor playthe role of family members when needful.

The regular rounds of relationships and interpersonalpolitics, work and scholastic crises, household mainte-nance, and “having fun” can occupy most of a realisticgame, particularly if the PCs have interesting Roles.GMs should bear in mind that, unless the PCs areextremely eccentric, ordinary lives should be seasonedwith significant disasters. Otherwise, the campaign willwind down and become dull.

DARK CAMPAIGNS“It was him or the cause. Without the cause, he’d have had

nothing to live for. Without him, the cause has one more rea-son to fight. It was the right choice at the right time for theright reason, Sitalces. Hold your tongue. Be satisfied. And havea boy sent up to my room. I’m tired.”


An ethereal game can focus around an extremelystrong pack or an established pantheon. Characterswith 7 or more Forces are able to serve as major pow-ers within Far Marches Domains. More generally,throughout the land of myth and story, they can eas-ily serve as heroes, villains, and primal forces to berespected and feared. These are characters worthy tolive in legend, and their nature should reflect this.Characters with 9 or more Forces and a godhead areeven more imposing. They can serve as meaningfulobjects of worship on Earth and devotion in theMarches, able to protect their followers and encour-age them in their service. The most suitable storiesfor all these characters include investigation of thegreat mysteries of the Marches, battles with its mon-sters and tyrants, exploration of its farthest corners,and the construction of great strongholds in its midst.

The GM should remember that in the etherealcontext, angels and demons are creatures of immensepower and terrifying aspect. A single 9-Force celes-tial warrior is generally a match (or more!) for a mar-tial 9-Force god – and the celestial probably has a lotmore backup. In other words, for a high-poweredgame, the GM should either use angels and demonswith discretion or start the characters at 10 or moreForces.

GMs interested in running a specific pantheonshould feel free to ignore its canonical status (e.g.,dead or almost-dead) if desired. Similarly, theyshould generally make the full range of charactersfrom that pantheon available to the players, includingapparently minor figures. Every deity is a massivelyunlikely success story – characters who don’t seemthat important in the legends are only slightly lessprobable. For example, if a character wants to playCalliope, the Muse of Epic Poetry, in a Hellenicgame, perhaps Calliope earned her godhead throughassumption or a mystery cult now forgotten. Thenecessary Forces require only effort and excellence.

If the GM wishes to run a pantheonic game with-out using historical deities, several options are avail-able. The simplest assumes that the characters havejust defeated an old pantheon in assumption combat.Hermes is no more; the new god of thieves and mes-sengers is Laodameia, the Wind of Needles andThorns. Hades fell; the new god of death isPhaedyme, the Censor of the Final Record. Theother characters have each seized a post. Alternately,the GM can postulate either a successful new religionor an alternate method to create godheads en masse.Perhaps if the characters command a Dream MagnetDomain, pumping their Image into the minds ofthousands of dreamers could suffice.

OPTIONS FOR PANTHEON-LEVEL GAMES

A dark campaign focuses on the compromises“good” ethereals make in order to survive inmonstrous Domains and Beleth’s Marches, aswell as the horrors they come to accept as a mat-ter of course. An atmosphere of moral compro-mise and decay shows off starkly hideousdreamscapes and Domains to their best effect.Such places can be found in any game, andabound in a dark campaign’s Marches.

Uncompromisingly evil PCs do not serve adark game well. Ideally, they should be strongenough to dish out atrocities, weak enough tosuffer occasional nasty reversals, cruel enoughto add to an atmosphere of horror, and virtuousenough that ethical compromise is a realisticdanger.

HUMOROUS CAMPAIGNS“First, I recognize the abhorrent nature of sacri-

ficing a virgin to the One Who Waits On theThreshold. Second, I recognize that we do not haveany virgins to sacrifice. Third, I understand that, asyour emissary, I was expected to prevent this stickymess. However, Iason, what you do not grasp is thescale of that monster’s diplomatic talents! Had any-one else been bargaining, it would surely have cost usat least two of the virgins we do not have.”

Running In Nomine in a slapstick fashionrequires nothing more than exaggerated char-acters and ridiculous situations. (These are easyto come by in the Marches, where surrealdreams can come to life.) Hard-edged satire,where the players laugh but the characters actin deadly earnest, is more difficult. The mainweapon in a Game Master’s arsenal is the land-scape of the Marches. Dreamscapes allowhumans to express aspects of society that theywould never admit to while awake. In a legalsatire, a cop’s nightmare might reveal his des-peration to reach his quota of drug-related con-fiscations – how else will his precinct stay finan-cially afloat? Meanwhile, criminals dream of anightmarish early parole that cuts short theirstate-sponsored criminal education.Postmodernist Domains can satirize stories anddreams by strictly enforcing their genre rules.Within their borders, characters must conformto the clichés and conventions of high-budgetaction movies, low-end romance novels, or sto-ries of occult conspiracy.138


CAMPAIGN CONCEPTSA skillful GM can involve PCs in a Far Marches power

struggle. They would play the roles of conciliators, media-tors, power brokers, aides de camp, or even participants intheir own right. The events around them might include suc-cession politics in the court of a failing god, rooting out trai-tors and assassins, fighting off a military invasion, managingdomestic affairs, and trying to suppress guerrilla revolution-aries or a forbidden philosophy. The PCs might even engagein something esoteric like overseeing the trial of theDomain’s creator for its recently-discovered collaborationwith the Crusade.

On a grander scale, GMs can involve PCs with the affairsof celestials and ascendant gods. The decline and fall ofBlandine or Beleth makes a strong story, as does a newCrusade – particularly if the PCs have advance warning. Anethereal attempting to become Yahweh Mk. II might throwthe ethereal realm out of balance, with effects felt through-out three worlds. If Armageddon looms, or a mad god goeson a rampage, the players’ group will want to protect thehumans and spirits they care about.

A two-part campaign could begin with the band making aname for themselves and earning respectable positions in aDomain. The obligations of that position then become thefocus of play – a patron god might hire them on as spies, toferret out the secrets of angels and demons; as diplomats; asexplorers; or as traders. In a well-conceived Domain, thePCs might have fun as judges, soldiers, or even shopkeepers.

An attempted assumption is good fodder for a short cam-paign. The protagonists start off as employees of a high-Force spirit who is ready to challenge a god for its Image.They help the spirit perform a defiant atrocity, reenact thestories of the god, or maneuver itself into a position of dom-inance. If they succeed, the god sends their employer off onan elaborate quest and permits the PCs to help . . . or makesit a condition of the trial that they try to stop their boss! Thetrial should have some sort of twist at the ending, designedby the god, the challenger, or the GM, so that their employ-er’s assumption combat does not end up as an anticlimax. Forexample, the challenger could have its minions poison thegod before the battle, or the quest weakens the challenger sothat it must merge with willing PCs – also using assumption– if it is to stand a chance.

Ethereal travelers in the Far Marches – perhaps on a “shipof fools,” searching for a mythical spirit’s paradise – makefine PCs. A game focusing on such characters would beadventurous and bizarre, with each new story set in a newDomain.

Humorous campaigns can be combined with mythiccampaigns (below). In this case, the natural subject forsatire is the structure of myth. Run one way, etherealsmight go on epic quests for “the Shoes That Go FasterThan Most Bicycles.” Run another way, everything,right down to buying tampons on Earth, becomes anepic quest, full of monsters, riddles, tests of character,and the meddling of gods and Heaven.

MYTHIC CAMPAIGNS“‘This game,’ the kid said. Not kid. Guy. Young man, I

guess. ‘It’s called the Sangreal Quest?’ His face shone with thiskind of quiet joy. Peace. Like living peace.

“So I said, ‘Sure. I can do a demo for you if you like.’“‘You do not need to do this thing,’ he said, very assuredly.

He bent over the box. His pale hair gleamed. ‘Wake thee, spir-it of the Sangreal,’ he said. And the box started glowing.

“I got out of there. I mean, I dunno what I was thinking.What? That it was going to explode? But the boxes aren’t sup-posed to glow. They’re definitely not supposed to glow.”

The Marches abound with the trappings of myth. Asignificant number of ethereal spirits qualify as archetyp-al characters. Ethereals have plenty of reason to go onquests – as part of an assumption attempt, to recovertreasures lost during Uriel’s Crusade, or to enhance theirImage. (Ethereals with some cultural backgrounds mayseek out Great Deeds to perform as a matter of course.)There is no shortage of horrible enemies to oppose. Anaspiring hero can pit itself against the gods, Beleth’sdemons, and even the bright and terrible angels. Talkinganimals, trees laden with bewitched fruit, ordeals, greatterrors, bridges of knives, mysterious sages, enchantedprinces and princesses, ants and lions capable of remem-bering a favor, monsters that can be bought off withhoney . . . these elements are not hard to come by. Theethereal realm is a rich and textured place.

Game Masters should remember that it takes morethan the components of fairy tales and mythic cycles to cre-ate a truly mythic feel. Humans turn to myth when deal-ing with subjects where pragmatism and realism areunsatisfactory. Myth is about the world as people want itto work. For this reason, most actions have consequencesand (ultimately) closure in a mythic game. The causalchain can be direct or indirect, but heroic sacrifices and“taboo” violations always come back to reward or hauntthe perpetrator. Neither are small actions forgotten. TheGame Master need not build a plot around every littlething the characters do, but thoughtless remarks and tinyacts of kindness should regularly yield dramatic out-comes.

IncorporatingEtherealS intoCeleStial CampaignS(and Vice VerSa)

Ethereal PCs in a celestial game are less powerful thantheir celestial peers. They have little reason to care aboutthe course of the War. Demons seek to dominate them.Angels have reason to drive them from both Blandine’sMarches and Earth. With so much stacked against ethe-reals, GMs should carefully provide the means, motive,and opportunity for such PCs to play a meaningful rolein the War.

Ethereals who go over entirely to Hell (that is, Beleth,although few Princes would ignore a chance to have anagent in Beleth’s Marches) can involve themselves in theWar as weak demons would. The trick is to put them ina group with other weak demons and Soldiers of Hell –or to give them access to a resource that their celestialcolleagues and rivals don’t have. This keeps the etherealcharacter(s) competitive.



The Purity Crusade remains vivid to those etherealswho survived. They regard it as an abhorrent event,comparable to the Holocaust on Earth. Thousands ofethereal spirits were put to the sword, hundreds ofDomains were eradicated, and most pantheons werecrippled or wiped out entirely. Uriel, Archangel ofPurity, is remembered as a monstrous villain, a butch-er so terrible that even God was ashamed.

(There are those ethereals who claim, however, thatGod did not call Uriel back to Heaven to stop theslaughter, but because Uriel’s crusade was actually aquest for the secret source of God’s power.)

After Uriel was recalled, his most fanatical followersrefused to take up service with another Archangel.Instead, they remained in the Marches, continuingtheir Superior’s crusade against pagan spirits. (Or, saythe cynics, continuing their search for the secret thatwill elevate their master to omnipotence.) ThesePurity loyalists are known as Tsayadim – Hebrew for“hunters.”

There are not many Tsayadim, and they do notattack every spirit they meet. They primarily hunt theold gods whom Uriel failed to eliminate, and their ser-vants, as well as any ethereals known to visit Earth.Because they are Outcasts, the Tsayadim avoid contactwith other angels, and thus are rarely seen in the vicin-ity of the Near Marches. They are believed to have“camps” in the Far Marches consisting of etherealDomains that they conquered by slaughtering theprevious inhabitants.

The Marches are vast, and Purity’s orphans cannotbe everywhere. Thus, Tsayadim are like sharks –greatly feared, but the chances of actually beingattacked by one are extremely small. The GM maychoose to make the Tsayadim the primary adversariesin an ethereal campaign, or he might use them as anoccasional encounter, or they might never show up atall, except as tales in the night.

Since the Tsayadim have been actively waging theirCrusade for over 12 centuries, they are all formidable.Most will have Forces well above the angelic average,concentrating in the Ethereal and Celestial realms.

In the Marches, Tsayadim usually hunt in groups, sothey are less likely to be ambushed and their quarriesare less likely to escape. If a spirit flees to the corpore-al plane, it will usually be pursued by a single Tsayad.

ORPHANS OF PURITYThe majority of Tsayadim are Malakim, and of the

remainder, most are Seraphim or Cherubim. Fewmembers of other Choirs had the fanaticism ordetermination to exile themselves from Heaven.

A trait that all Tsayadim share is that the Word ofPurity still protects them from Falling. A Tsayad can-not Fall, no matter how much dissonance he accu-mulates. However, dissonant Tsayadim also do notlive long. Uriel’s dissonance conditions forbid aServitor of Purity to ignore corruption in any form –all corruption must be purified or destroyed. (Anddemons claim that the Tsayadim just don’t get achance to Fall before their fellows kill them.) Urieldefined “corruption” as dissonance or Discord.Diabolicals are also considered “corruption,” as areany ethereal spirits in a human dreamscape or on thecorporeal plane.

Since the Tsayadim are intended to be NPCencounters rather than player characters, only a fewsample attunements are given below. In general,Purity attunements gave Uriel’s Servitors the abilityto detect and destroy various forms of corruption.(Masters of Purity were known to have the ability toremove Discord, though they only did it for otherServitors of Purity, and it was rumored to stripForces from the subject.)

They also have a very similar version of the attune-ment that Laurence now grants as Hunt (In Nomine,p. 127). It is not activated by combat; instead, theangel may home in on anyone he detects corruptingthe Symphony – i.e., generating more than 10 notesof disturbance in any given ripple (In Nomine, p. 55).

Seraphim (Choir Attunement)Seraphim of Purity have a heightened ability to

detect Symphonic disturbances – whenever making aPerception roll to detect such a disturbance, they areautomatically successful (if success is possible, i.e., ifthe base target number is 2 or higher), but roll forthe check digit or Interventions.

Continued on next page . . .

The TSayadim

A few rare ethereals develop agenuine faith and devotion to God’swill. This is a separate emotionfrom the pseudo-faith that etherealswith preacher/devotee Images pos-sess. If you want to mix spirits andangels, then Heaven should not turnup its nose at ethereal believers, anymore than it rejects hopefulSoldiers. Instead, applying thedeepest level of strategic secrecy,Archangels should take these spiritsinto service. They give out no “sign-ing benefits” (no free characterpoints, attunements, or Forces) butthey do allow these spirits to workwith angel groups and they do pro-vide small mission-related rewards.The angels involved are rarely (ifever) told that Heaven has etherealServitors. Instead, their Archangelusually explains that “special cir-cumstances apply” and “you maytrust this spirit if and when yourcelestial instincts so suggest.”Ethereals working with angels canget by without extra perks, as theyhave unique powers and are not inactive competition with their angel-ic peers.

Rarely, individual etherealsbecome important in the war forany of a number of reasons. AGabrielite prophecy can make aspirit a pivotal figure. Being theonly witness to the apparent deathof an Archangel gives a spirit indef-inite sanctuary with the forces ofHeaven – in such ineffable matters,even Dominic can’t be sure he’s got-ten all the relevant details out of awitness. Naturally, demons willwant to get their hands on the spirittoo! A group of ethereal diplomats can represent anisolated Domain that has control over a terribly pow-erful resource. An individual ethereal can temporarilybecome a Superior’s “favorite,” in a light game –impressing (e.g.,) Lucifer, Andrealphus, or Eli, andthereby becoming the focus for celestial politics.

Celestials, in turn, need a reason to participate inethereal stories. Outcasts and Renegades might hide inthe Marches, becoming normal (if powerful) denizens.

Otherwise, even for Dreams/Nightmares Servitors inthe Near Marches, the affairs of the ethereal PCs musttake on strategic importance to make long-term celes-tial involvement practical. Game Masters should alsotake care to keep celestial characters from overpower-ing their weaker associates, by playing up the fact thatethereals are at home in the Marches in a way no celes-tial will ever be. 141


Cherubim (Choir Attunement; Restricted)Uriel’s Cherubim are pure trackers; they do not need to make

physical contact to attune themselves to something. They can attunethemselves to the trail their target left behind. This can be any physicalremains, from a fingerprint to a discarded candy wrapper. (In theMarches, this can be a problem; see Tracking, p. 97.) They do not nec-essarily know who or what they are attuning themselves to, but oncethey’re on the trail, they can follow it to the ends of the Earth . . . andbeyond. If the target leaves the plane, then when the Cherub gets tothe location where this took place, he must make a new resonance roll.If he fails, he’s lost the trail. If successful, he can continue following hisquarry, whether to the corporeal realm, the Marches, Heaven, or Hell– even if it’s been longer than a minute! (See In Nomine, p. 53.)

Since the objects of their attunements are often prey, Cherubim ofPurity get a bonus, equal to the sum of the attuned person’s dissonance and Discord (but not Dread), when making a Will roll to dissolve a bond.

Malakim (Choir Attunement)Malakim of Purity were the scourges of Heaven – they add a target’s

dissonance to the Accuracy of their attacks, and the target’s Discord totheir Power. (Fortunately for ethereals, their Dread level doesn’t countas either dissonance or Discord!)

RIPPLES (SERVITOR ATTUNEMENT)More perfectly attuned to the Symphony, the angel adds his

Celestial Forces to his Perception for purposes of detecting ripples inthe Symphony . . . and subtracts the same amount from the degree ofdisturbance his own actions cause. (No disturbance can be reducedbelow 1, however.)

The tSayadim(CONTINUED)

Declaration of Defiance:I, Caraculiambo, do solemnly declare that until the mists

turn clear and the last dream dies, the spirits of the Marchesshall not kneel under angelic rule. The spirits of the Marchesshall build our own Domains, and live in our own societies,with our own laws, and we shall not bow before the laws ofGod. We will do battle in our own name, against each otherand against Heaven, but we will not fight in the cause of God.We shall ferret out the mysteries of our land, explorers andscholars both, but we shall not give ourselves to the mysteries ofGod.

Spirits shall create, destroy, love, hate, trade, live, and strug-gle to survive, and we shall not once turn our thoughts to God.For we shall not serve a God who murders us, who Crusades

against us, who fears us, and who hates us.We shall not serve a God unfit to lick the

meanest spirit’s boots.We will serve our petty lords, but not

your God. Our deities, but not your God.Ourselves, but not God. For even themost terrible of our gods is of our own

flesh.I, Caraculiambo, speak these words of defi-

ance. And if God is not a coward, I challenge him toface me in the flesh and prove them wrong.

Zeal-for-the-Lord set the scrap of paper aside. Night-black lips tightened. “How did this come into your hand,Intercessionist?”

“A spirit, sir. One of the smaller mythic giants. Wechallenged him, and he said that he would speak to nonebut the Archangel. He would not stop advancing, evenwhen we drew steel – he spitted himself upon ourblades.”

“Dead?”“Hocequin’s blade took him through the eye and killed

his soul.”“He carried this?”“He did.”Zeal-for-the-Lord straightened. “Build a cairn for

him,” he said.“Sir?”“Such heresy as his would damn a human a thousand

times over. It sickens me to read his ‘declaration.’ At the

same time, we must acknowledge a selfless act of sacri-fice. Every such act serves God.”

“I do not see how his act did so. Nor, I suspect, didCaraculiambo.”

Zeal-for-the-Lord drew back his lips in a faint,ironic smile. “Perhaps that is why I command thiscamp and not the late Caraculiambo.” He wavedthe Mercurian away. “Build him a cairn. Put hismessage there. Let him rest in honor.”

To the Archangel of Dreams, Her HandAlone, Ab Urbe Condita 1497.

Bright Lady,I write this missive with the utmost reluctance.

In doing so, I betray the Most Virtuous Lord Iserve. Do not look for me on the morrow. I shallarrange my own death, before you read this, inbattle.

I do not know if you understand what isbeing done here in the Marches. I did notunderstand it myself until today, and I am aCrusader, a warrior of Archangel Uriel’s.But, Bright Lady, we are not waging a war.

We are crushing hope and nobility. We are beating every lastvirtuous trait out of these spirits, bleeding it out of them withour blades and our Songs. We hunt the most poisonous and vilecreatures of the Marches, and this is just, but we are teachingthe best and brightest spirits to hate the Lord. We are stamp-ing out whatever plans God had for these creatures. We aredestroying dreams.

A spirit named Caraculiambo gave his life to send a messageto Heaven. I have taken it from his cairn, and I am sending itto you.

Stop us, Bright Lady of Dreams, in God’s name.Help us do something better in these Marches than kill.

– Roscelin, Cherub of Purity

* The Catholic Church, specifically the Papacy, did not usethe Dionysian method of reckoning (using A.D.) until the 10thcentury C.E.; they used instead AUC, ab urbe condita(“from the founding of the city”), which refers to the foundingof Rome in 755 BCE. The year in which Uriel was recalled,therefore, would have been 1500 AUC to the Catholic Churchof the time, so Roscelin wrote his letter in 742 A.D.142

N E A R T H E E N D

Near The End

Acidic domain feature, 108.Aesir, 114, 116.Affinities, 10, 23, 50, 95; and

elements, 63; divine, 82; new, 52.Air affinity, 52.Alliances, 113.Anchors, 17.Andrealphus, 119.Angels in the Marches, 120.Animals affinity, 52.Area Knowledge (Marches) skill, 64.Armor, 104.Artifacts, 12, 104.Artifice affinity, 53.Asmodeus, 119.Aspected Domain domain feature, 106.Assertion, 132.Assumption, 17, 81, 133.Astronomical Concept elements, 24.Attunements, 11, 63, 82.August Prosperity Collective, 114, 116.Aurem, 73.Aztecs, 114, 116.Baal, 119.Beasts element, 31.Beasts of Passion, 28.Beleth, 12, 102, 119.Belial, 119.Believers, 123.Bilocational domain feature, 109.Blandine, 101, 117.Bonded Mastery domain feature, 109.Books affinity, 53.Border Marches, 102.Campaigns, 136-141.Celestials, 117-121, 139.Ceridwen, 83.Challenging a god, 134.Characters, creation, 10; creation

checklist, 12; player, 10; point costtable, 13.

Cherubim, 141.Classical Element elements, 25.Cold affinity, 54.Combat, 97-99, celestial, 17; see also

Death.Common Tongue domain feature, 106.Computers element, 40.Corporeal realm, 20, 123.

David, 117.Death elements, 46.Death, 18.Deceitful domain feature, 107.Deception affinity, 54.Defiance, 134.Demons in the Marches, 121.Destiny, 113.Destruction affinity, 55.Discord, 13; vessel, 69.Disturbances, 20, 96.Divination affinity, 55.Djinn, 118.Domain Artifact domain feature, 107.Domains, 93, 103-111, creating, 82,

106; features, 106-111.Dominance, 134.Dominic, 46, 117.Doomed domain feature, 108.Dragons, 78.Draining, Song of, 66.Dreads, 13, 48; see also individual

Affinity listings.Dream Magnet domain feature, 107.Dream spirits, 74.Dream-Caul domain feature, 108.Dream-Shades, 122.Dream-Shaping, 91, 93-95.Dream-eating, 17.Dreaming, 91; skill, 65.Dreamscapes, 88, 105.Dreamtime spirits, 114, 116.Dreamwalking, 91.Drowning/suffocation affinity, 55.Elementals, 72.Elements, 10, 22, 23; and affinities, 63.Eli, 117.Elvis, 15, 16, 17, 80.Emotion elements, 28.Emotions affinity, 55.Entering and leaving the Marches, 88.Entrancement affinity, 56.Essence, 13, 14; cache, 17.Ethereal Connection attunement, 63.Ethereal form, 92.Exchange, Song of, 66.Fading, 19.Faerie, 114, 116.Family element, 34.

Far Marches, 102.Fear element, 28.Fertility affinity, 56.Fierce Figments domain feature, 107.Figments, 10, 103.Filth affinity, 56.Final Exam, The, 73.Final Sanctuary, 36.Fire affinity, 57.Fire element, 25.Forces, 10; losing, 18.Forest Beyond Hope’s End, 32.

Gabriel, 102, 118.Gangs, 113.Genii locorum, 75.Ghost element, 46.Glamour affinity, 57.Gods, 11, 19, 81; creating, 74.Greek gods, see Olympians.Greys, 16.Haagenti, 119.Halfbreeds, 122.Healall domain feature, 107.Heliopolitans, 114, 116.Hidden domain feature, 111.Hindu gods, 114, 116.Hitchhikers, 88.Homes element, 36.Hostile domain feature, 109.Humans in the Marches, 122.Humor, 138.Hunger affinity, 57.Hunt element, 37.Ill Words attunement, 85.Images, 23; changing, 129; consump-

tion, 131; enhancement, 130, 135;fulfillment, 128; inanimate, 80, 125-129, 130.

Impostors, 15.Incomplete Mastery domain feature,

109.Infinite domain feature, 108.Information elements, 29. 143

I N D E X

Index

Initiation, 46-48.Intelligence, 11.Interventions, 20.Intrusive Domain domain feature, 108.Intrusive Domain: Discord domain

feature, 109.Inverse Data Store, 31.Janus, 118.Jean, 118.Jewels element, 42.Jordi, 118.Kami, see August Prosperity

Collective.Khalid, 118.Knowledge skills, 65.Kobal, 119.Kraken, 79.Kronos, 119.Lab 26, 111.Language skills, 65.Laurence, 118.Life elements, 31.Light affinity, 58.Light element, 33.Lightning affinity, 58.Lilith, 120.Limbo, 17.Living Domain domain feature, 109.Loas, 114, 116.Lucid dreamers, 122.Luck affinity, 58.

Malakim, 141.Malleable domain feature, 108.Malphas, 120.Manifestations, corporeal, 20.Manny, 76.Marc, 118.Marygold, 76.Mask, see Images.

McCormick the Gunslinger, 72.Michael, 118.Micro-domains, 12, 71, 101, 105.Minerals affinity, 59.Mnemonic cretins, 35.Mobile domain feature, 108.Motherhood affinity, 59.Mountain element, 40.Move Silently skill, 65.Multiple Mastery domain feature, 110.Myths, 79.Native American spirits, 114, 116.Navigation, 90.News element, 29.Novalis, 118.Nybbas, 120.Oasis domain feature, 109.Obscurement affinity, 59.Odin, 84.Olympians, 114, 116, 133.One-Eye attunement, 85.Ordeal, 134.Origin myths, 3.Outcasts, 12.Pagans, 123.Pantheons, 85, 115, 137.Places, 95; see also Domains.Plants affinity, 60.Plants element, 32.Player characters, 10.Pop icons, 80.Power, 130.Predation, 115.Primal Force domain feature, 110.Primal spirits, 73.Puissance affinity, 60.Quirky domain feature, 111.REM sleep, 91.Ravens, 87.Reenactment, 134.Regenerates domain feature, 111.Remnants, 19.Renegades, 12.Resources, 11, 104.Ripples attunement, 141.Rites, 14, 82.Rivalry, 115.Roles, 11.Roman gods, 133.Saints, 122.Salamanders, 25.Saminga, 120.Santa Claus, 15, 71, 77.Sense elements, 33.Seraphim, 140.Serendipitous domain feature, 111.Servants, 12.

Skills, 11, 64; bonuses for affinities, 62.Snow element, 44.Society elements, 34.Society, 113.Songs, 11, 51, 66-67, 95; lost, 24.Sorcerers, 122, 123.Soul Link attunement, 64.Speed affinity, 60.Spidersilk Forge, 40.Spirit Speech, Song of, 67.Stamatis Stavros, 43.Sticky domain feature, 111.Straight Roads, 42.Strands, 22; see also Elements.Strange rains, 44.Structure elements, 36.Struggle elements, 37.Sun element, 24.Sundered Castle, 34.Superiors, 11, 117-120.Survival (Marches) skill, 65.Taxonomy, 77.Tech elements, 39.Terrain affinity, 61.Terrain elements, 40.Tethers, 16, 82, 89, 101-102.Time Effects domain feature, 111.Tracking skill, 65.Transcendental domain feature, 111.Transfiguration, 81, 134.Trauma, 17.Travel, 89.Trial, 134.Tribes, 16, 115.Tsayadim, 140, 142.Unbound domain feature, 109.Undead, 122.Vale of Dreams, 89, 101.Valefor, 120.Vapula, 120.Vehicles element, 39.Vessels, 14, 68; discord, 69; from

Superiors, 69.Visible Anchors domain feature, 108.War, the, 121.Water affinity, 61.Water element, 25.Wealth affinity, 61.Wealth elements, 42.Weather affinity, 61.Weather elements, 44.Words, 71.Worship, 14-15.Wyrd, 84.Young domain feature, 111.Yves, 71, 119.144

I N D E X

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

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